{"id":791355,"date":"2026-03-04T12:14:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:14:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/791355\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T12:14:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T12:14:32","slug":"justin-herbert-gets-help-from-alabama-combine-star-in-espm-mock-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/791355\/","title":{"rendered":"Justin Herbert gets help from Alabama Combine star in ESPM mock draft"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 2026 draft cycle continues to highlight elite talent in the trenches, and Alabama standout Kadyn Proctor has established himself as a top prospect. Since declaring for the draft in January, Proctor has consistently been included in first-round projections, bolstered by a physical profile that earned him a top-ten spot on the annual Freaks List. His stock soared at the NFL Combine<\/a>, where Proctor became the first offensive lineman weighing over 350 pounds to jump<\/a> over 32 inches in the vertical leap.<\/p>\n

This remarkable display of functional power confirms that Proctor is a rare athlete, demonstrating movements that are impressive for someone of his size.<\/p>\n

As his teammate Ty Simpson also strengthens his first-round case by showing a full recovery during throwing drills, Proctor’s athleticism makes him a priority for teams in need of foundational strength.<\/p>\n

An ESPN mock draft has the Los Angeles Chargers<\/a> as an ideal landing spot<\/a> for the Crimson Tide star with the 22nd pick.<\/p>\n

The interior of the Chargers\u2019 offensive line struggled last season and is set for a major overhaul, especially with Zion Johnson entering free agency and Mekhi Becton potentially being cut due to salary cap reasons.<\/p>\n

While scouts are divided on whether Proctor is a first-round pick or a Day 2 talent, his versatility is a significant selling point.<\/p>\n

Many evaluators believe his quickest path to playing time is as a guard, providing essential backup for a roster that lost starting tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater to injuries in 2025.<\/p>\n

Basic football principles state that games are won in the trenches, and Proctor provides head coach Jim Harbaugh an opportunity to enhance the Chargers\u2019<\/a> physical identity.<\/p>\n

Adding Proctor to an offensive line that includes a healthy Slater and Alt would create a formidable unit.<\/p>\n

Whether he starts at guard or tackle, his historic performance at the Combine guarantees that he will be a key figure in draft discussions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2026 draft cycle continues to highlight elite talent in the trenches, and Alabama standout Kadyn Proctor has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791356,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2064],"tags":[405,241,7,1159,1014,262,2444,2443,6,927,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-791355","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-alabama-football","9":"tag-chargers","10":"tag-football","11":"tag-justin-herbert","12":"tag-los-angeles","13":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","14":"tag-losangeles","15":"tag-losangeleschargers","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-combine","18":"tag-nfl-draft"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116170854641488948","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791355","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791355"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791355\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791355"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791355"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791355"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}