NFL Draft: Kaleb Proctor (DT, Southeastern Louisiana) scouting report

Lions Kaleb Proctor 2, LSU Tigers take on the Southeastern Louisiana. Sept 20, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. | SCOTT CLAUSE / USATODAY Network / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL Draft has no shortage of interior defensive linemen, and Southeastern Louisiana defensive tackle Kaleb Proctor is one of the top small-school athletes. A four-year contributor with the Lions, Proctor blossomed in spectacular fashion during his senior campaign - piling up nine sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and Southland Conference Player of the Year honors - before earning first-team FCS All-American recognition from the AFCA, Phil Steele, Sports Illustrated, and Stats Perform.

The FCS pedigree will be the first thing scouts note, and it's fair to acknowledge the level-of-competition caveat. But Proctor answered those doubts head-on. In a Week 4 showdown against LSU - as high-profile as it gets for an FCS program - he delivered two sacks and three tackles for loss, flashing the burst and bend that have made him a genuinely exciting prospect.

When the competition stiffened, so did his play. That will be the sort of criteria that NFL teams look for when projecting small-school players to the next level. As a result, he may not be an every down player until he shows further development after a few years of rotational reps, but with his athletic profile, it's certainly a possibility.

Athletically, Proctor is legitimately special for the position. His 4.79-second 40-yard dash and 33-inch vertical set the table for a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score of 8.99 - numbers that translate to the field as a first-step quickness that allows him to knife through gaps before offensive linemen can react.

His hand usage is advanced, with violent initial strikes that disrupt blockers' timing, and he has the flexibility to bend around the edge on stunts and twists. At the East-West Shrine Bowl, he continued to turn heads against higher-caliber competition.

The concern scouts will flag is straightforward: at 6'2'' and under 300 pounds, Proctor is undersized for an every-down interior lineman against NFL-caliber offensive linemen. His run defense is limited, and the jump from FCS to the NFL is the steepest in college football.

He projects as a one-gap penetrator - valuable in obvious passing situations but not yet a three-down player. He'll need time in an NFL weight room to add functional strength before he can be trusted on early downs.

From a traits standpoint, he checks the boxes you want in a disruptive interior rusher - elite explosion, plus length at 33 inches, and combine testing that puts him among the best at his position.

On film, it shows up as consistent backfield penetration driven by first-step burst, low pad level through contact, and active hands that reset and strike.

Where he really separates is in schemed situations - stunts and games - where his quickness and coordination let him cross faces before blockers can react.

The analogy that keeps coming up in scouting circles is Geno Atkins - not because Proctor will necessarily reach those heights, but because the archetype of the undersized, high-motor interior rusher who wreaks havoc as a specialist is a proven model.

A more grounded comparison might be Kobie Turner or Milton Williams: rotational pieces who carve out a real role through pass-rush explosiveness. Any team willing to invest in developing what Proctor is - rather than what he isn't - could find considerable value in the later rounds. He's exactly the kind of high-upside Day 3 swing that builds championship-caliber depth.

However, with Proctor projected to be primarily a 4-3 defensive tackle at the 3-tech position, it doesn't seem likely that the Packers view him as a player who fits their scheme.