Dolphins’ Sullivan explains, in detail, the decision to draft Proctor and Johnson
Dolphins general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said about his selection of offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor at No. 12 and cornerback Chris Johnson at 27:
▪ He said Proctor was “our guy” all along and someone that Miami would have drafted ahead of safety Caleb Downs, whom the Dolphins could have drafted if they hadn’t traded the 11th pick to Dallas. (Miami received two Cowboys fifth-round picks in exchange for moving down one spot.)
He said Proctor can play tackle or guard but will allow the coaches to decide that: “He has the unique ability to play all four spots at a really high level... We’ll get the best five out there.”
Sullivan said Proctor’s “ability to move large men coming off the ball in the run game speaks for itself. Every Saturday, he played good ball. Go watch the tape. I’ll watch tape with any of you. There wasn’t another one in the draft like him. Period. He’s unique. He’s rare. The athletic traits for a man his size are through the roof.”
He made clear the Dolphins couldn’t have traded down from 12 and picked him later.
“I know one team in particular was trying to come up to our spot to get him,” Sullivan said. “There was another that was calling, and I have a pretty good sense that they were to. The things we value are the size, athleticism, ability to play bully ball. You can’t play through him. He’s hard to play around. He can play four spots. He’s versatile. We felt he’s a unique, rare guy. There’s not another one in the draft like him, period.”
He said Downs and UM edge player Rueben Bain, both of whom the Dolphins bypassed when they traded the 11th pick, “are marvelous players. Those guys will be very successful. We thought Proctor was rare - his height, weight, speed, production, the things he can do on the field for a man his size, he’s an outlier.
“There’s not many like him. That’s no shot at Caleb Downs, a phenomenal player; he will have a great career. We would have loved to have him here. But we had a lot of conviction on Proctor being a unique player and one we can build around for years.”
He said the Dolphins “want to keep Malik [Willis] healthy” and “that was part of the conversation as well.”
He said there are “no apologies” about the pick and being able to get two fifth round picks - along with Proctor - was “free money... We are thrilled with the pick. We have a lot of faith in the person.”
He said “our coaches loved him, our scouts loved him.”
Sullivan was impressed by Proctor’s answers during his 30 visit to team headquarters: “It was a real honest direct conversation with substance. We asked him to walk us through the time at Alabama, the lessons he learned, the weight. He talked about his growth and the things he learned. We have resources at ‘Bama who have been with him recently and we have really good relationships there.”
He said the feedback from Alabama was that he’s “competitive, prideful, never wants to be embarrassed, leads the conditioning runs. I don’t need to name the coach by name but there was a coach there at one point who was militant about weights and he didn’t worry about Proctor’s weight.”
▪ He said Proctor’s past weight issues shouldn’t be held against him: “Young people make mistakes. They have bumps in the road. You can’t bury them because they stubbed their toe along the way. A guy who battled his weight a little bit and played reallyt good football.. You’ve got to give a guy their due... We did our due diligence [on his weight]. We feel really good about where he is with that.”
He said Proctor “is a naturally large human being, but he’s not a fat guy. You will see that pretty quickly.”
▪ On cornerback Chris Johnson, the pick at 27 after a trade up from 30:
“It was the versatility and upside” that motivated Miami to trade up: “He can play nickel or he’ll play corner. Depending on how this thing goes, he can play safety because of the ball skills and the instincts. I don’t think we’ll end up doing that. He’ll play corner, play nickel. We had a lot of conviction on him....
“He’s got great feet. Great body control. He’s a big corner. He’ll tackle. He’s physical. And he’s got upside. He’s about the right stuff, the kind of guy we want to infuse in his locker room, as is Proctor. They both have edge to him.”
He said he liked the tape at San Diego State, and he felt ever more strongly after watching him at the Combine: “You are always looking for traits. You watched him play in the fall, and he had the feet, the balance, he’s instinctive, the ball skills, but then you’re like, I want to see how he measures up with those corners in the SEC. [At the Combine]. he ran real fast, jumped high and it helps you come to a conclusion; this guy is exactly what you think he is.
“Not only is the film really good and the upside really good, but all the traits you want in the world for a guy who has to cover players at this level, he’s got them.
“He’s got recovery speed, short area quickness. It shows itself on tape and he validated it at the Combine, which gives you peace of mind... His care factor is high. He was a team captain there. The intangibles along with the athletic traits and the fact he’s a good football player leads to the conviction. It’s important we add the right kind of people.”
▪ On potentially improving the trenches with Proctor: “You follow the board. You always, the way I was taught, you want to build it from the inside out. But you are not going to reach on guys. You’ve got to follow the boards.”
▪ Overall, he said, “I think the Dolphins got better today.” He said “I take responsibility for every player we pick.”
▪ He said a team’s needs “come into play” on day 2 if two players are similarly graded. “There comes a point where you’re trying to fill holes, but you’re not going to not follow the value of board.”
Here’s what nine analysts said about Proctor, including some interesting comments from Saban.
Here’s what eight analysts said about Chris Johnson.
This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 11:37 PM.
