While a nose tackle remains a top need for the Green Bay Packers, general manager Brian Gutekunst and his front office are doing their homework on other defensive linemen in the 2026 NFL Draft, including Southeastern Louisiana’s Kaleb Proctor.
Tom Silverstein with the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel tweeted on Monday that the Packers were hosting Proctor for a top-30 visit ahead of this year’s draft. The move is a bit of a surprise considering Proctor’s smaller frame at just 6-foot-2 and 291 pounds.
Considering Green Bay’s need for a run-stuffing nose, it’s a bit of a surprise to see the Packers doing their homework on a smaller, twitchier DT prospect. However, once you see the athletic testing, it’s easy to see why the Packers are at least doing their homework on Proctor.
The SELA prospect turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine in February, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.79 seconds with a 33-inch vertical and 113-inch broad jump. His testing, despite such a small frame, gave him a Relative Athletic Score of 9.51.
Proctor’s tape is really impressive, even when going against an SEC program like the LSU Tigers. He shows off impressive explosiveness off the snap to catch offensive linemen off guard, along with the quickness and hand usage to disengage and quickly get into the backfield.
On top of that, Proctor has legitimate length with 33-inch arms that allow him to get extended and put up some impressive stack-and-shed technique to disengage.
That being said, Proctor’s lack of size shows up in some tough ways against the run, and it will pop up even more against NFL-level competition. While he can get extended, bigger linemen can knock Proctor off balance and displace him in the trenches. His frame will likely confine him to a rotational role focused on passing downs, instead of being a full-time defensive tackle.
Still, for a Packers team that severely lacked pass-rushing juice with Micah Parsons off of the field, they’ll need more answers in 2026, even with Lukas Van Ness and Devonte Wyatt 100 percent healthy. A player like Proctor, who is currently ranked 107th on the consensus draft board, could provide some extra pass-rushing juice for Jonathan Gannon’s defensive front.
If Proctor is still hanging around on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Packers might take a swing.
