The Miami Dolphins got their guy with their first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft in hulking Alabama offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. Regardless of what else happens, the overall success of the draft, will be how will Proctor’s sizable (pun very much intended) potential is realized in South Florida.

The Dolphins traded back from No. 11 to 12 and took the player they had pegged as their primary target. At 6-6 5/8 and 352 pounds, he has the physical tools to develop into a dominating force on Miami’s offensive line. Paired up with a fellow mountain of a man in left tackle Patrick Paul — which he will be by starting off at left guard, per Jon-Eric Sullivan — and with center Aaron Brewer to his right, he is in a solid position for success in 2026.

But even in that spot, he’ll have to play up to his potential to succeed, and that’s something that one SEC coordinator has questions about. ESPN college football reporter Adam Rittenberg interviewed coaches and coordinators before and after the NFL Draft, and two had differing opinions on Proctor.

SEC coordinators offered differing takes on new Miami Dolphins OL Kadyn Proctor

“Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor also generated different opinions entering the draft,” Rittenberg wrote. “His combination of size (6-foot-6, 352 pounds) and athleticism was hard to match, but he also anchored a Tide line that blocked for the nation’s No. 123 rushing attack, and allowed 2.13 sacks per game (90th nationally).”

“‘He has more potential than production,’ Rittenberg quoted an SEC coordinator as saying. ‘He’s a big, strong kid that’s athletic. I didn’t think he was always as dominant as he should have been, for the traits.’”

That being said, another SEC coordinator bought into the potential that Proctor undoubtedly possesses at the NFL level.

“‘Anybody who sees this guy work out, they’re not going to be able to resist,’ Rittenberg quoted another an SEC coordinator as saying. ‘Even if they wanted to, they’re going to see him moving around and they’re like, ‘Shoot we’ve got to take this guy.””

Given the talent that was still on the board at 11, particularly Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Miami EDGE Rueben Bain, Jr., and Penn State OL Olaivavega Ioane, how well Proctor fulfills his abilities will always be compared to the successes and failures of those options the Dolphins could have taken. Nature of the beast.

But Dolphins fans have seen years fly by on the calendar without the team adequately addressing the offensive line under Chris Grier. Sullivan’s first step to try to change that identity — soft, or otherwise similarly billed — is a hard thing to challenge on the surface.

And it ultimately won’t be, if Proctor can live up to the potential in 2026 and beyond.