I’ve written quite a bit about new Iowa offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor lately, but for tampering and for the NCAA not giving a crap, but what about him as a player?
People slam Proctor because he was a turnstile at Alabama at times as a true freshman offensive tackle. But slow your roll. Proctor was a 5-star out of high school for a reason, but a few things worked against him at Alabama. First off, many of the elite tackles that emerged from Alabama over the years, like Alex Leatherwood, DJ Fluker, Jonah Williams, Jedrick Wills, Evan Neal, and others, all had the advantage of playing either inside or right tackle before flipping. To put a true freshman at left tackle showed how little depth and overall talent this Alabama offensive line had compared to previous seasons. Proctor was essentially thrown to the wolves in the SEC with little chance to be successful protecting the blindside. Elite Alabama offensive linemen have always played early, but Nick Saban was always careful with their fragile confidence and set them up for success. However, he didn’t have that luxury with Proctor, and it hurt him.
The second reason? Proctor played too heavy. He bulked up for college to nearly 360 pounds and lost a bit of his flexibility and agility. He appeared lead-footed at times and wasn’t able to get out of his stance quickly enough. I’d also hurt his knee bend and his kick slide. In my opinion, he needs to play much closer to 330 pounds, and Iowa will trim him down and build him back up. Iowa does an amazing job with massive linemen, similar to Alabama, and this second chance will allow him to regain his confidence.
The Iowa offense is also a better fit for his blocking style right now as he’s an excellent trap blocker and is better at run blocking than pass protection now. And, oddly, having a QB who isn’t mobile like Jalen Milroe will help him with his sets and assignments. The boring Iowa offense, which will be less boring under Tim Lester, is actually Proctor’s friend as he adjusts to a new program.
I’ve watched a lot of Proctor this season, and the potential is vast. With a reset of his confidence and being back home, I’m telling you, this is a potential first-rounder in a few years if he can make the true transition to an athletic and mobile left tackle.
