Dolphins Friday Mailbag: Examining the Potential Proctor Problem and a Possible Solution

Part 1 of a Miami Dolphins On SI mailbag for the first weekend of May 2026:

From SciGuy17:

National SI colleague said Proctor is #1 potential bust, his weight was "inconsistent" throughout college, and implied 350 at combine was too heavy. Is it true that his weight was an issue throughout? I previously heard that was mostly freshman year when he was 18. Did he seem fat at presser?

Let me start off by saying that Proctor absolutely did not look fat at his introductory press conference, like you wouldn’t know that weight has ever been an issue with him. But, no, it wasn’t only as a freshman that weight was a problem because he started the 2025 season at a heavier weight than he finished and that hurt his play. That weight concern might be the only reason the Dolphins were able to get him at 12.

From JCEsq1982:

I think clearly the biggest hole on the roster is at safety. Assuming that there's no way they're comfortable starting Trader & Johnson, what free agents are out there that might be upgrades. Obviously cap space is tight, but there have to be some veterans out there that would be better, aren't there?

Here’s the list of remaining free agents at safety: Donovan Wilson, Jimmy Ward, Xavier Woods, Taylor Rapp, Nazeeh Johnson, Rayshawn Jenkins, Jordan Poyer, Jamal Adams, Jabrill Peppers, Mike Edwards, and the Dolphins’ own Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu. While the biggest names here Adams, Peppers and Poyer, those who maybe would make more sense might be Rapp and/or Jenkins.

From dolphman99:

Hi Alain, I don’t get why there is so much negativity regarding the current wide receivers. Tutu was a 2nd round pick and was playing behind some top wide receivers. Tolbert also was playing behind top wideouts. Add in even Kevin Coleman Jr., who was a 5th round pick, as was Tyreek Hill. He’s 5’10 with a 4.49 40 time. Add Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell, this group looks prime to perform well. What’s you take?

I land somewhere between what the harshest critics are saying (maybe the worst WR corps ever) and your enthusiasm, and have to point out that Tyreek Hill was a fifth-round pick because of his off-the-field issues in college, not ability. The key to me is Bell coming back from his torn ACL and showing the best version of himself from Louisville. I would say it’s maybe not a horrible group, but we also can’t call it high end, either.

From Mark Lever:

How many wins do you see us getting this year? Is playoffs an option?

Oh Mark, you’re going to do this to me? Trying to predict a record (which I never like doing) and in May no less. OK, I’ll give you a range, I’ll go ahead and say the Dolphins win between five and nine games, and would add it would be a surprise (a nice one) if Miami was able to make the playoffs.

From Josh:

If Brendan Sorsby is banned from college football and enters the supplemental draft, how realistic would it be to see Miami take a shot at drafting him? He might be available for a second-round pick.

Hey Josh, there are some other who consider him a first-round talent, so who’s to say that a team won’t take a shot at him and simply forfeit their 2027 first-round selection — which would make sense for the Jets considering they have three of those. I’d put the chances of the Dolphins drafting him at less than 50-50 because I still think they want to give Malik Willis a full opportunity to show he’s the QB of the future.

From Tom Suthard:

If wegovy is not a banned substance by the NFL, then does Proctor’s weight issue become less of a risk? Proctor agreeing to do a draft night cartoon of himself with an armload of doughnuts was not wise. Would a team ask a player to take a drug & are there privacy/union concerns?

Hey Tom, those are two very good questions and my understanding is the weight loss medications are not forbidden by the NFL provided they don’t include tainted supplements and are prescribed by a doctor. As for whether a team would ask a player to do that, that’s something that maybe would have to go through the NFLPA if the player resisted.

From Dave Banta:

I see a lot of national media has the Dolphins having the worst record this year, meaning the #1 pick in the draft. I feel maybe around 6 wins which would put them maybe around 6-8 I'm guessing. Where would you predict win/draft position?

Hey Dave, understand that the mock draft that already are out for 2027 usually use Super Bowl odds to determine the draft order, so it’s not necessarily a prediction on many games the teams will win. That said, consider the Dolphins had the 11th overall draft position after finishing 7-10. So we’re looking at a top 10 pick, though exactly where is hard to tell.

From Mark@Merrymeeting:

I keep seeing draft pundits predicting the Dolphins getting a top 3 draft pick in the 2027 draft, and taking a wide receiver (with the assumption we have the QB of the future on the roster). Wouldn’t a trade out of that spot be much more valuable than any single non-QB?

Hey Mark, you might be overthinking what the mock drafts are doing because projected picks a year ahead of time is tough enough without throwing in potential trades in there. But your point has merit, though it always would depend on the kind of talent pool in the 2027 draft and also whether Malik Willis will have shown enough in the 2026 season for the Dolphins to not take a QB early next year.

From Rich McQuillen:

With 13 draft picks, plus Reiger/Konga/Bonifas, I'm feeling pretty good about this team, certainly better than a week ago. It's younger and more athletic, even if inexperienced. A double draft. If most of these guys hit, I think there is more talent here than the 2019 roster.

Hey Rich, I probably would have to agree with your assessment — providing they hit on some of their draft picks. But it’s also not a terribly high bar because the 2019 season saw waiver claims just about every week.

From Noel B one:

I realize as a fan my objectivity is tainted, but Proctor and Douglas do not feel like "doubles off the wall" to me. Was my expectation that safer bets would be taken misguided?

Hey Noel, I’m completely with you in that assessment with Proctor, who absolutely looks like the ultimate swing for the fences type of pick. We do have to point out, though, that Sullivan’s comments about going for doubles off the wall and not the home run was in answer to a question about how to deal with players with character concerns. So maybe he wasn’t talking about his overall draft philosophy at all. As for Douglas, that’s simply a case of the Dolphins viewing a prospect much more favorably than a whole bunch of draft analysts.

From Mike:

To be clear, I'm not criticizing our first pick, but if they wanted a guard why didn't they just draft Ioane? I've seen over the years many times where they think a player is better suited for a different position, and it doesn't work out. Thanks Alain.

Hey Mike, Jon-Eric Sullivan made clear that Kadyn Proctor was “his guy.” And I don’t think it’s fair to say the Dolphins wanted a guard because Sullivan indicated that it’s where Proctor would start off. I do think it’s way more likely than not that he’ll end up at right tackle at some point early in his career.

From Jon Russell:

Hi Alain, will Brewer and Brooks be on the team by the trade deadline?

Hey Jon, if only I had a crystal ball. This obviously is going to depend on how the Dolphins season is going, but also keep in mind that in-season trades aren’t that common in the NFL. That might be my best way of avoiding the question. Let’s just say I don’t think it’s a slam dunk they’ll both still be with Miami.

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