Kaleb Proctor NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Arizona Cardinals DT

Matt HolderApr 16, 2026

The Arizona Cardinals selected Southeastern Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor with the No. 104 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Kaleb Proctor is an impressive overall athlete, who can be a good penetrating defensive lineman in a one-gapping scheme at the next level. He's quick with the lateral movement skills to beat offensive linemen across their faces. Plus, his athleticism gives him potential as a pass-rusher.

Proctor wasn't ranked in the 2022 high school class and had no FBS scholarship offers, according to 247Sports, opting to play at the FCS level for Southeastern Louisiana.

He became a starter as a true sophomore and recorded 134 tackles, 26 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, two passes defended and two forced fumbles in 48 career games.

The former Lion received second-team All-Southland Conference honors in 2024 and was the conference's Player of the Year and a first-team FCS All-American this past season.

Matt Holder has been a part of B/R's Scouting Department for four seasons. He also writes about the Las Vegas Raiders and NFL draft for SB Nation's Silver and Black Pride, and co-hosts a YouTube Channel, Tape Don't Lie, providing film breakdowns and more draft prospect analysis.

Highlights

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Scroll down for the complete scouting report.

Where He Wins

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AP Photo

- Proctor is a good overall athlete with a quick get-off and accelerates well to get penetration when one-gapping.

- He also has the lateral movement skills to be effective slanting by getting into the offense's backfield.

- Has flashed a solid arm-over move that he can win with in both phases of the game.

- Shows solid power as a pass-rusher to occasionally push the pocket against interior offensive linemen.

- Effective on line games. He's a decent penetrator, who can catch offensive tackles off-guard. Also, the requisite agility to take efficient paths to the quarterback as the looper.

- Athleticism gives him the potential to add more pass-rush moves if his hand usage gets better and more consistent.

Areas of Improvement

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- When Proctor isn't penetrating, he often gets blown off the ball and struggles to anchor.

- He takes on blocks with a narrow base and lacks lower-body strength, leading to him getting pushed out of his gap by combo blocks or against offensive linemen who play with good leverage.

- Hand placement is a little wide and he lacks the strength to consistently get extension on blocks against higher-level competition, making it difficult for him to shed offensive linemen.

- Poor at sinking his hips to avoid getting washed inside when slanting against linemen who can stay in front of him.

- Slow to recognize reach blocks, resulting in getting sealed inside against outside zone runs despite having good lateral movement skills.

- Needs to use his hands more as a pass-rusher.

- Scheme fit is a question mark. He's built like a 4i-technique in odd fronts but isn't stout enough against the run. He's also on the lighter side for a 3-technique but too heavy for a base end in even fronts. His body-type and accompanying play-style could cap his ceiling as a role player in the NFL.