Dolphins coaches dish on Proctor/guard move, rookie receivers, tight ends
The Dolphins’ first offseason availability with their new coaching staff yielded insight on the master plan with rookie first-round offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor and what drew them to three receivers and two tight ends in their draft class.
Some feedback:
▪ New offensive line coach Zach Yenser revealed that the Dolphins gauged Proctor’s willingness to play guard during his predraft 30 visit to team headquarters. Proctor played left tackle for three seasons at Alabama.
Though Yenser said nothing of the kind, Proctor eventually could end up at right tackle in 2027 if the Dolphins don’t keep Austin Jackson beyond this season.
For now, the Dolphins believe Proctor playing guard not only helps the Dolphins field their five best linemen, but also will smooth his transition to the NFL.
“It’s going to happen a little quicker [for him] at guard,” Yenser said. “That was a conversation through the draft process, on his 30 visit. [We said] ‘this was our vision for you.’ He said ‘all I want to do is play. I’’ll play guard.’
“The great thing about Kadyn is the dude sees the game well. The way he communicates, he’s very smart. That’s what I loved about him on our 30 visit. When I was sitting down with him watching film with him, he sees it like a center. He’s not going to play center for us, but that’s how he sees the game big picture.”
At 6-7 and 352 pounds, Proctor “fits the mold” of a guard in a zone=-blocking scheme.
“Outside zone we’re trying to run and be attacking,” Yenser said. “He fits that even as big as he is. [At guard], it’s even more of a plus how big he is. That helps us out tremendously.”
And how will his pass protection skills translate to guard?
“If you move outside to inside, everything happens a little quicker for him inside,” Yenser reiterated. “You’re not playing with as much space. I do think the area you’re playing in is definitely smaller…
“You’re getting your hands on defenders a little quicker. You’ve got to anchor a little better. You set the depth of the pocket. The tackles are setting the width of the pocket. That’s a huge part of our protection with the timing element of the quarterback.”
This was notable: Yenser suggested that Proctor will cross-train at left tackle but not necessarily at right tackle. The Dolphins like cross-training players on the same side.
“It’s nice to be able to keep guys on the same side,” Yenser said. “If Proctor is going to get tackle reps, you would like for him to stay on the left side. But ultimately, the best five are going to play.”
(Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik added: “Now he played mainly left side in college, so we’re going to keep him on the left side whether it’s guard or tackle.”)
Yenser said Texas guard DJ Campbell, picked by the Dolphins in the sixth round and 200th overall, left a lasting impression at his Pro Day.
“DJ was very explosive,” Yenser said. “You watch him on film and his Pro Day, which is what really stuck out and really brought my attention to him.
“Not that the film wasn’t good. But then you saw the movement skills at Pro Day and the explosiveness and you’re like, ‘this guy has something in his body.’ I was very happy when they took him. This was a guy I would really like to work with. He fits our scheme.”
Receivers, tight end feedback
▪ New tight ends coach Ron Middleton was asked the predraft feedback he gave general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley about the two tight ends the Dolphins drafted — Ohio State’s Will Kacmarek and Mississippi State’s Seydou Traore.
On Kacmarek: “Throwback tight end, hard-nosed. He’s a tight end that can block [but] not a blocking tight end. He can do other things, too — can stretch the field, has good hands. His physicality is second to none. And he’s smart and a good kid. I interviewed him [on Zoom]. That was part of the evaluation process and I fell in love with him.”
On Traore: “I was pleasantly surprised. He’s a kid that’s relatively new to the game. One thing he has that you can’t coach is he’s athletic, he’s strong, and he’s got the right mentality. And he competed in the SEC and that tells me a lot about him.”
As a receiving threat, “he’s fast and he’s athletic,” Middleton said. “You can always work with that; he catches the ball well. I like his attitude after he gets the ball in his hands and tries to punish people.”
▪ New receivers coach Tyke Tolbert, on Miami’s three rookie receiver draft picks:
On Texas Tech’s Caleb Douglas: “He has length, he has speed, he has suddenness. For a tall guy [6-4], he can make the first guy miss. He has all the things we were looking for. When we Zoomed with him, [I could tell] he was a smart guy. All of those things were enough to like him a lot.”
On Louisville receiver Chris Bell, who continues to recover from November’s torn ACL: “He’ll be ready at some point in the season…. What he did against the University of Miami; he had a really good game [nine catches, 136 yards, two touchdowns]. We expect that from him every game.”
On Missouri’s Kevin Coleman Jr., Tolbert loved the “playmaking ability with the ball in his hand, his quickness, all those things you look for. And he was playing in a conference [SEC, that’s] still the best conference in the nation.”
Roster move
The Dolphins reached their 91-man offseason roster limit by signing DJ Herman, who was a linebacker at San Diego State, but is being moved to fullback with the Dolphins. Herman, who was a standout special teams player for the Aztecs, is the only fullback on Miami’s roster.
The Dolphins are permitted to keep 91 players, instead of 90, until mid-August because of a roster exemption for Traore, who is a member of the NFL’s international pathway program.
This story was originally published May 12, 2026 at 1:25 PM.
