Weighty Matters Should Concern Eagles When It Comes To Alabama Prospect

DeVonta Smith proved me wrong. Heading into the 2021 draft, mostly what I saw was a 165-pound kid who held up well at Alabama, but the NFL was a whole different ballgame. He wouldn’t survive. Not only has Smith survived, but he has thrived.

Now comes another Alabama product whose weight scares me, but only on the other end of the spectrum, or, in this case, the scale. Kaydn Proctor has been as high as 400 pounds as recently as his freshman year at Alabama.

His poor diet, with an affinity for Krispy Kreme Donuts, was partly responsible, according to some reports, which also mentioned that his teammates nicknamed him “Krispy.” To Proctor’s credit, he shed that weight and showed up at the NFL Scouting Combine at 352 pounds, after playing at 355 for the Tide this past fall.

It’s a concern that should give the Eagles pause when they are on the clock with the 23rd pick in Thursday night’s draft, if Proctor is still available. Or give them pause if they decide to trade up, like NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has them doing. The former Eagles scout has his former team moving up eight spots - to No. 15 - to take Proctor.

Now, Jeremiah certainly knows better than I, and I’ve been wrong about weighty matters before (see Smith), so maybe Proctor is ready to become a professional. Maybe Jordan Davis takes him under his wing and helps him see the light so he can stay lighter.

Former Alabama Coach Has Concerns About Kadyn Proctor

March 30, 2026; Tuscaloosa, AL, USA; Nick Saban answer questions from the news media at the Saban Center Topping Out ceremony. | Gary Cosby Jr. / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It could just be a maturity issue with Proctor. He is only 20, and the Eagles have an affinity for Alabama players. It wasn’t at all reassuring, however, when Proctor’s former coach at Alabama, Nick Saban, went on the Pat McAfee Show and said that there were some concerns when the lineman wasn’t in the Tide’s training facility.

Yahoo Sports recounted it this way: “Saban made sure to explain that Proctor isn't a bad person, and that the concerns aren't about him getting in trouble. Instead, it's about the lineman's discipline to do what's necessary to have his body ready to play.”

Yahoo Sports continued paraphrasing Saban: “Proctor will do whatever he's asked when in the building, but says when the lineman isn't in the building, he might get a little overweight and not show up in the best shape. Ultimately, Saban said Proctor isn't a self-starter who's going to come to camp in phenomenal shape, but also argued that this is a manageable issue for any team willing to bet on his talent.”

The Eagles could very well be ready to bet on the talent Proctor offers. As GM Howie Roseman said in his pre-draft availability with reporters: “To come in and expect 21, 22, 23-year-old players to be the best version of themselves, it's probably a little naive. And so just like all of us, these players need to be developed. We got to figure out the things that they are further along with and developed and then have a lot of trust in our player development staff, our coaching staff, the people in this building to get the best out of those, figure out what their strengths are, what their weaknesses, and work on those.

“So we're getting the best version of a player and a lot of times in the draft we'll talk about what could this player be in year three, what could this player be at the maturity of the player not just the first year. And so we do that because we think we have the right people in the building to get them at their peak.”

So, my objection to drafting him might be all to do about nothing – like it was with Smith. Or maybe I'm right on this. Time will tell.

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