Cardinals Make Smart Day 3 Draft Gamble

The Arizona Cardinals finally took a defensive player.

After spending their first three picks on the offensive side of the ball, Arizona used their fourth-round pick (104th overall) on Southeastern Louisiana DT Kaleb Proctor.

Proctor is the first FCS player taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. He had nine sacks last season and tested extremely well with a 9.15 RAS.

Kaleb Proctor is a DT prospect in the 2026 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.51 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 101 out of 2046 DT from 1987 to 2026.

Splits projected, all times unofficial, agilities left to run.https://t.co/zOLaniFPPT pic.twitter.com/4QGprVPGx2
— RAS.football (@MathBomb) February 26, 2026

The Cardinals add a running mate for defensive lineman Walter Nolen III in the interior. Arizona lost plenty of juice in their trenches this offseason and now see an injection of youthful talent after spending back-to-back years of first-round picks in the trenches (Nolen in 2025, Darius Robinson in 2024).

From The Athletic's Dane Brugler:

"With his undersized frame and FCS background, Proctor heads to the NFL with plenty of doubters. But he didn’t look out of place on his 2025 LSU tape or during combine week (20.95 mph on-field speed, fastest among all defensive tackles in Indianapolis). His issues versus power show on down blocks, but he has disruptive feet with the eyes and pursuit skills of a former linebacker."

Proctor is an athletic playmaker in the interior that could potentially form a dynamic partnership inside with Nolen, which should only free up other players in the defensive front seven while Proctor will do damage on his own accord.

With other names such as Roy Lopez and Dante Stills, Proctor will certainly have to battle for playing time early in his Cardinals career. However, he clearly holds upside and can be a steal if he hits his projections.

Every pick feels like a gamble in the draft, though Proctor's high upside and value as a fourth-round pick makes this a pretty exciting swing at the plate.

The Cardinals failed to truly dominate the trenches in 2025 thanks to a mix of poor play and injuries. Proctor, at worst, feels like a player who will provide depth and can flash his talents occasional along a defensive line that is often rotated heavily under defensive coordinator Nick Rallis.

Cardinals 2026 Draft Class So Far

Round 1, Pick 3: Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
Round 2, Pick 34: Chase Bisontis, OG, Texas A&M
Round 3, Pick 65: Carson Beck, QB, Miami
Round 4, Pick 104: Kaleb Proctor, DT, Southeastern Louisiana

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