{"id":244219,"date":"2026-04-24T03:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/244219\/"},"modified":"2026-04-24T03:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T03:19:12","slug":"miami-dolphins-choose-ot-kadyn-proctor-and-cb-chris-johnson-in-1st-round-of-nfl-draft-as-part-of-rebuild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/244219\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Dolphins choose OT Kadyn Proctor and CB Chris Johnson in 1st round of NFL draft as part of rebuild"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Miami Dolphins<\/a>\u00a0selected Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor 12th overall, then traded up to pick San Diego State cornerback Chris Johnson at No. 27 on Thursday night\u00a0in the NFL draft<\/a>\u00a0as they begin their rebuild under new coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan.<\/p>\n

It was a busy night for the Dolphins, who were originally slated to pick at No. 11 before making a trade with Dallas, which moved up a spot to select Ohio State safety Caleb Downs. Miami, in return, received picks 12, 177 and 180.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins then traded up from pick 30 to San Francisco’s turn at 27. Miami also traded pick No. 90 to the 49ers in exchange for No. 138.<\/p>\n

The Dolphins have needs all over their roster, but it’s not surprising that Sullivan is beginning in the trenches with Proctor to bolster Miami’s run-blocking for Pro Bowl receiver De’Von Achane and add protection for new quarterback Malik Willis \u2014 a signal of change for a team that had previously been built around the speed and flash of its skills players.<\/p>\n

Miami then addressed its porous secondary with Johnson, who was a two-year starter at San Diego State with six interceptions \u2014 including two returned for scores \u2014 3 1\/2 tackles for loss and a sack.<\/p>\n

“I just don’t even know what to say,” Proctor said in a television interview. “I’m at a loss for words. I just appreciate the Dolphins for giving me an opportunity to go down there and play. I’m (going to) go play my (butt) off.”<\/p>\n

Miami had 10 games of 120-plus rushing yards in 2025, tied for sixth-most in the NFL, behind Achane, who led the league with 5.7 yards per carry.<\/p>\n

“It’s going to feel so good, man, knowing that you’re blocking for a guy that makes your job so easy,” Proctor said. “He’s going to make plays. He’s a great running back, fast as hell. I can’t wait to block for him.”<\/p>\n

Proctor started immediately at left tackle as a freshman and allowed just two sacks in his three seasons at Alabama. His combination of size \u2014 he’s 6-foot-7, 352 pounds \u2014 and athleticism will provide Miami a needed cornerstone piece to build the offensive line with ascending left tackle Patrick Paul and veteran center Aaron Brewer.<\/p>\n

Proctor primarily played left tackle in college, but many draft scouts believe he can be a solid guard. The 20-year-old said he’s willing to play either position.<\/p>\n

If anything, the Dolphins are getting a willing ball-carrier in Proctor, who had five runs for 16 yards in college.<\/p>\n

“It’s really just about the trust factor,” Proctor said. “I go out there, and I just try to handle my business. I’ll play guard, tackle, center, wide receiver \u2014 If it means going out there and helping my team win, I’m going to do it.”<\/p>\n

The Dolphins have had back-to-back losing seasons, finishing 7-10 in 2025 and ensuring that their 25-year playoff-win drought \u2014 the longest such streak in the NFL \u2014 would continue. Longtime general manager Chris Grier was fired midseason and coach Mike McDaniel was let go a few days after concluding his second straight losing season.<\/p>\n

Sullivan was hired in January and brought with him a promise to rebuild Miami’s fractured franchise in a similar way the the Packers’ model \u2014 to rely on the draft to find and develop their own talent to build their franchise around.<\/p>\n

Sullivan has a handful of additional selections to use this weekend as he begins implementing his vision, including pick No. 30.<\/p>\n

In:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Miami Dolphins\u00a0selected Alabama offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor 12th overall, then traded up to pick San Diego State…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":244145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[8173,2531,57,123,1763,125,124,10365,46388,110],"class_list":["post-244219","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-alabama","tag-alabama-crimson-tide","tag-football","tag-miami","tag-miami-dolphins","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-news","tag-national-football-league","tag-nfl-draft","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244219","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=244219"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/244219\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/244145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=244219"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=244219"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=244219"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}