Alabama OT quietly put together one of the best performances in the country last week

Alabama left tackle Kadyn Proctor had a stellar outing in Week 2 against Louisiana Monroe, and boy, did he need it. The junior struggled mightily in Week 1 against Florida State, allowing six pressures on first-time starting quarterback Ty Simpson across his 54 pass blocking snaps, but quickly turned his third and likely final season with the Crimson Tide around. 

Proctor surrendered just one pressure last week with no sacks as the Tide torched ULM 73-0 at Bryant-Denny Stadium to get to 1-1 on the year. Simpson stole the headlines, and rightfully so, going 17-for-17 through the air for 226 yards and three touchdowns, but PFF recognized Proctor for protecting his quarterback and playing one of the best games of any offensive tackle in the country. 

Proctor graded out as the sixth-best Power 4 offensive tackle in the country according to PFF. 

Kadyn Proctor recognized by PFF as a top OT in Week 2

Proctor will need to carry over this type of play against better competition. His 6-foot-7, 366-pound frame allows him to easily dominate Sun Belt defenders, but FSU’s edge rushers beat him with speed around the edge, and there are plenty of SEC teams that could do the same. 

Simpson’s Week 2 was record-breaking, but it was enabled by the play of his offensive line. With just two starts under his belt, one a mess and the other a masterpiece, it’s hard to tell where the median outcome is for the redshirt junior quarterback. What is instructive, however, is the splits on his pressure vs unpressured dropbacks. 

This season, when kept clean, Simpson is completing nearly 80 percent of his throws for 8.7 yards per attempt with five touchdowns to no interceptions and an average time to throw of 2.60 seconds. When pressured, his completion percentage drops to 35.3 percent with 6.2 yards per attempt, a time to throw over four seconds, and a staggering 12.9 average depth of target (according to PFF). 

Many of those pressured dropbacks, especially in Week 1, were a result of Simpson not trusting his eyes, refusing to throw with anticipation, and holding onto the ball far too long. So, that’s not necessarily a failing of the offensive line. Still, the splits are clear; Simpson is a pressure-sensitive quarterback without the physical tools to be a high-level out-of-structure creator, either with off-platform throws or with scrambles. 

Pass protection is always important, but with a quarterback of this archetype, and an unimpressive group of running backs, which Alabama seems to have behind the injured Jam Miller (and maybe even including the senior), it’s even more crucial. With so many question marks elsewhere on the line, especially at right tackle, where true freshman Michael Carroll is now competing for snaps with Wilkin Formby, Proctor must continue to play like one of the best offensive tackles in the country.