Latest news with #Proctor
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Dane Brugler's 2026 NFL Draft summer positional rankings: Offensive tackles
Editor's note: This is the eighth installment of Dane Brugler's 2026 Summer Scouting series. Previous rankings: Edge rushers | Running backs | Defensive tackles | Tight ends | Linebackers | Interior offensive linemen | Cornerbacks Based on my initial viewing, I expected edge rusher to be early favorite as deepest position in the 2026 NFL Draft. But then I watched the offensive tackles — and there is a new frontrunner in the clubhouse. There are multiple seniors to get excited about, but it is the draft-eligible underclassmen who could make for a tackle-rich first round next April. (Note: Asterisk represents draft-eligible underclassmen. Heights and weights are what NFL teams have on file for each player, with a 'v' representing verified measurements and 'e' for estimated measurements.) Advertisement Proctor is simply built different. He is a naturally massive human with a wide frame, smooth muscle throughout and a thick lower half (big thighs, burly calves, large bubble). And what stands out even more than his size is his ability to uncoil hellish power as a blocker. He uses long arms and upper-body strength to launch defenders or overpower them at contact. His nasty play style fits him well. Proctor's power profile and sheer size are the headlines, but he isn't a slug. For a 360-pounder, he stays nimble on his feet. One of the more frustrating things in scouting is when a prospect doesn't play up to his measureables. But it was clear from the jump I wouldn't have to worry about that with Proctor because of his knock-back, mauling power. However, Proctor needs to stay in top shape to achieve consistent leverage against NFL defenders. He wouldn't take plays off effort-wise on last year's tape, but there were times he would cut corners and rely on size over technique, especially in pass pro. A five-star recruit out of high school, Proctor was one of the top players in the 2023 class and became a freshman All-American at left tackle for the Tide. After a brief transfer back home to Iowa, the Des Moines native returned to Alabama and earned second-team All-SEC honors last season. It will be easy to lump Proctor in the same bucket as Evan Neal or D.J. Fluker and expect him to be the next massive Alabama linemen to fall short of expectations in the NFL. And Proctor is far from a finished product (see last year's Michigan tape). But when you focus on his freaky talent, at that size, it is easy to understand why NFL scouts talk about him as a future first-round pick. Advertisement There is a ton to love about Fano's tape. In the run game, he is a fluid mover with vice-grip hands and the innate desire to drive his target from the spot. As a pass blocker, he uncoils out of his stance with light feet, firm punch and smooth redirect. The common theme from his tape is an ability to stay balanced from the point of attack through the finish, regardless of the action required. NFL teams have Fano listed at 6-foot-5 and 300 pounds, with average overall length. There isn't much he can do about his arm length, but there is room on his frame to add weight and strengthen his base. He said he added 10 pounds of bulk this offseason, and it will be interesting to see how that impacts his performance. One of the highest-ranked recruits in Utah history, Fano immediately earned his way onto the field as a true freshman as the Utes' starting left tackle. He kicked over to right tackle as a sophomore last season and was even better, earning multiple All-America nods. With arguably the best offensive tackle tandem in college football, Kyle Whittingham thinks his 2025 group will be the 'best offensive line' at Utah since he became head coach 21 years ago. A sticky blocker, Fano is one of the 10 best prospects I have studied this summer. NFL scouts share the same excitement, and they also praise his intelligence and no-ego mindset. With his size and lateral movements, Chaplin is able to kick out and cut off speed rushers. But his power and length are most evident as a run blocker, and Virginia Tech often found success running behind its left tackle. (Chaplin transferred to Auburn this past offseason.) Chaplin is able to torque, turn and run his feet to violently move defenders where he wants them to go. He has the mobility to cut off on the backside or wash the three-technique from the designed lane. Though very gifted for a man his size, Chaplin is still a work in progress in multiple areas. His overaggressive tendencies will backfire on him, causing him to lunge and disrupt his balance. He doesn't have top-tier body flexibility and can do a better job protecting against that, especially in space, to avoid penalties. Advertisement A lesser-known high school recruit, Chaplin redshirted at Virginia Tech in 2022 before becoming the Hokies' starting left tackle the last two seasons. Once he jumped into the transfer portal, Auburn made him a priority to round out its offensive line. Because he is both raw and incredibly talented, there is a wide range of outcomes for Chaplin as a pro prospect. If he continues to develop his body and discipline, the power, length and talent are there for him to be a first-round pick. Scouts are excited about his potential, but they also need to see continued progression this season before stamping him with an NFL-starter grade. Mauigoa is a decent mover off the ball and in space, but it's his play strength that makes him so effective. He can sit down and anchor versus power rushers or use his upper-body strength to rework his hands and slow down speed off the edge. It isn't always pretty in the run game as he continues to fine-tune his hand technique, but once he latches, Mauigoa can uproot his target. Mauigoa has adequate feet and mobility, but his balance can be disrupted by inconsistent weight transfer. At times, he gets over his skis and too far out front in the run game. Other times, he puts too much momentum on his outside foot mid-slide, leaving himself open to inside rush counters. However, Mauigoa's hands are both skilled and strong, which often can get him out of those compromised positions. According to most recruiting outlets, it was a two-man race between Proctor and Mauigoa for the OT1 spot in the 2023 high school class (both were consensus top-10 players in the country). Because of his trust in the coaching staff, Mauigoa signed with Miami — and his older brother, Francisco, joined him in Coral Gables (and ultimately was drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the New York Jets). Advertisement A left tackle as a senior at IMG Academy, Mauigoa has started all 26 games at right tackle in his two college seasons. Some NFL scouts see him as more of a guard than a tackle down the line, but they all expect him to be a future NFL starter with first-round potential. With his light feet, quick hands and athletic frame, Lomu is very natural in his movement patterns as a pass blocker. He explodes off the snap and maintains knee bend, balance and eager hands to easily shield speed rushers. Only a redshirt freshman in his first season as a starter last season, he has plenty that needs improving. But Lomu has natural pass-protection feet and body quickness, both of which will always be coveted in the NFL. When he stays square and keeps rushers off his frame, Lomu is dominant on pass-pro reps. Against power or rushers who get into his chest, however, he often breaks down or loses his balance. At times, he is able to regain leverage and stay engaged, but Lomu needs to get stronger to improve his recovery chances and be more of a force in the run game. The player on the 2024 tape wasn't ready for NFL power. I expect that to change in 2025. One of the top recruits out of Arizona in the 2023 class, Lomu committed to Utah over Michigan and was Whittingham's second-highest-ranked recruit that year (behind Fano). He spent the 2023 season developing his body for the college level, then became a starter for the 2024 season. Considered more of a natural left tackle, Lomu breaking into the starting lineup pushed Fano to right tackle. Still a very young player, Lomu isn't a polished technician at this point and needs to continue developing his body and core strength before he is ready for NFL snaps. But he is an easy mover with the athletic tools and body type that have NFL teams bullish about his future. Based on long-term potential, it could be argued Lomu belongs ahead of Fano. Advertisement 1. Drew Shelton, Penn State (6-4 7/8, 303) 2. Isaiah World, Oregon (6-5 1/4, 321) 3. Max Iheanachor, Arizona State (6-5 1/2, 322) 4. Gennings Dunker, Iowa (6-3 1/2, 317) 5. Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern (6-7 1/2, 320) 6. Ethan Onianwa, Ohio State (6-6, 333) 7. J.C. Davis, Illinois (6-3 7/8, 333) 8. Austin Barber, Florida (6-6 7/8, 316) 9. Fa'alili Fa'amoe, Wake Forest (6-5 1/8, 318) 10. Micah Pettus, Florida State (6-6 7/8, 353) 11. Jeff Persi, Pittsburgh (6-7 1/4, 308) 12. Dametrious Crownover, Texas A&M (6-6 3/4, 335) 13. Blake Miller, Clemson (6-6 1/2, 314) 14. Diego Pounds, Ole Miss (6-5 5/8, 337) 15. McKale Boley, Virginia (6-4 7/8, 320) 16. Izavion Miller, Auburn (6-5 3/8, 305) 17. Garrett DiGiorgio, UCLA (6-6 5/8, 326) 18. Tristan Leigh, Clemson (6-4 5/8, 309) 19. Chris Adams, Memphis (6-4 1/2, 300) 20. Riley Mahlman, Wisconsin (6-7 7/8, 321) 21. Trevor Brock, Buffalo (6-4 5/8, 319) 22. Mason Murphy, Auburn (6-5 1/8, 324) 23. Hunter Zambrano, Texas Tech (6-5, 305) 24. Logan Taylor, Boston College (6-6 1/2, 309) 25. Ka'ena Decambra, Arizona (6-3, 312) 1. Proctor 2. Fano 3. Chaplin 4. Mauigoa 5. Lomu 6. Jude Bowry, Boston College (6-5, 310) 7. Kage Casey, Boise State (6-5, 315) 8. Monroe Freeling, Georgia (6-7, 315) 9. Brian Parker II, Duke (6-5, 300) 10. Aamil Wagner, Notre Dame (6-6, 295) 11. Ryan Baer, Pittsburgh (6-7, 325) 12. Trevor Goosby, Texas (6-7, 310) 13. Earnest Greene III, Georgia (6-4, 320) 14. PJ Williams, SMU (6-5, 315) 15. Conner Moore, Michigan State (6-5, 310) (Photo of Kadyn Proctor: Bryan Lynn / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle
The Age
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Age
‘A really dark time for me': How this Australian shook off his demons to land an NBA deal with the Cavs
Australian basketball star Tyrese Proctor is embracing every experience thrown at him as he prepares for his rookie NBA season with some downtime at home in Sydney. That includes shooting hoops with juniors at his old club, the Sutherland Sharks, and feeding the giraffes at Taronga Zoo, where his whole family was invited as a homecoming gift. The 21-year-old signed a four-year NBA contract worth at least $US3.4 million (A$5.25m) with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and reflected on how his success was built from heartbreak. In April 2024, Proctor was as low as he had been after shooting 0-9 as his highly favoured Duke University team was knocked out of the NCAA Tournament by North Carolina State in front of an audience of millions. The Blue Devils have a following bigger than several NBA teams, and that spotlight can turn harsh when you fail to perform. Proctor was expected to test his NBA Draft chances last year, as some scouts rated him worthy of a first-round pick, which carries a multi-million dollar guaranteed contract. 'It was a really dark time for me,' Proctor admitted. 'Just mentally. I think I shot 0-11 or something. I had a really bad finishing game and had a lot of ups and downs that season.
Sydney Morning Herald
5 days ago
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘A really dark time for me': How this Australian shook off his demons to land an NBA deal with the Cavs
'I got hurt in early November with my ankle, which kept me out for a month, and to finish the season like that - I told my coach in the locker room after that last game that I was coming back [next season]. 'That's just me as a competitor, me as a person. That's not being satisfied, and I'm super grateful, super blessed that they were willing to have me back.' Proctor put his own game under the microscope and, with the help of a Canada-based mental coach, he put work into that side of his game. 'I'm still working with my mental coach to this day, and I felt like it helped me tremendously this past season at Duke,' Proctor said. 'I wanted to be open-minded to it as I hadn't done anything like this at all. I said: 'Why not?' I ended up loving it. We have a great connection.' Proctor also stayed off his social media accounts for the whole season. Proctor enjoyed his best season with the Blue Devils, who fell agonisingly one game short of the NCAA Tournament final, losing 70-67 to University of Houston. Proctor was able to flip his tournament script on his struggles a year earlier, hitting seven threes and making nine of his 10 shots overall in a 25-point outburst against Baylor. He also had 17 points against Alabama in Duke's Elite Eight win. Duke coach Jon Scheyer became emotional after the Baylor game as he praised Proctor. 'We would both say his sophomore season didn't go the way we wanted,' Scheyer said. 'That's where it is easy to split. I wasn't in a convincing mode, I was matter-of-fact about where I saw him. The difference for a guy in his position is that he took it, as opposed to making excuses. 'That's the special thing about him, making seven threes and being our key guy after going through all these moments.' There is a clear bond between the pair. 'I remember his first phone call to me in my bedroom in Sydney - he's only been honest with me,' Proctor said. 'Seeing him get emotional was a really special moment, he understood the work that was put in behind the scenes.' Proctor was also one of four Australians selected in the NBA Draft, and ended up in the best playing situation as the title-contending Cavaliers targeted Proctor and offered him a multi-year deal to be one of their backup guards. With Boston's Jayson Tatum and Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton expected to miss the season as they recover from ruptured Achilles tendons, the Cavs are among the favourites to win the Eastern conference. His new home in Cleveland has water views that remind him of Sydney, albeit of Lake Erie rather than the ocean. 'I'm going in open-minded and want to take everything in because the vets, the coaches have been there before,' Proctor said. 'I want to connect with those guys. I think I play a great brand of basketball, and I can fit in there really well.' On a return to the Sutherland Sharks, Proctor recalled his side rarely won during some seasons, and that made winning at the NBA Academy and then Duke feel even more special. 'Growing up in the Shire, I came up not winning a lot of games,' Proctor said. 'So I really cherish winning basketball.' He aims to return to the Boomers side ahead of the 2027 FIBA World Cup in Qatar and LA 2028 Olympics. Above all, he wants to repay his parents Rod and Melissa for helping him reach the NBA. 'A lot of people have poured time into my career and me as a person. Dad is my biggest critic but also my biggest fan,' Proctor said. 'It's hard at college with so much stuff going on and that's only going to grow in the NBA but having that platform, that ability to still be able to see them a lot and give back - that's a big thing for me.'
Perth Now
01-08-2025
- Sport
- Perth Now
Aussies helping change the NBA game: Tyrese Proctor
Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Tyrese Proctor says Australia is helping "change the game" of basketball as a record-equalling draft cohort prepares for its NBA dream to become reality. Sydney native Proctor joined Rocco Zikarsky, Alex Toohey and Lachlan Olbrich as one of four Australians selected in the 2025 NBA draft in June, the equal-most in one year. The quartet's arrival comes after a record 15 Australians featured on NBA rosters last season, with Patty Mills becoming the first Australian to reach 1000 NBA games and Alex Ducas winning a championship on Oklahoma City's roster. Non-American players have won the MVP award in each of the last seven NBA seasons and players of 17 different nationalities were drafted in 2025. "The game's changing, international basketball itself," said Proctor as he paid a visit to training for NRL side Cronulla this week. "Not just in Australia, France, Spain, all those countries, it's changing. It shows in the NBA. "A lot of MVPs are international guys and I think Australian basketball specifically is making a big jump as well." At No.49, Proctor was the highest draft pick for a Cavs side that topped the eastern conference standings last season and has designs on the 2025/26 championship. The 21-year-old received a call from the team's star player Donovan Mitchell to welcome him to the franchise on draft night. "He just told me to enjoy my night, just take it one day at a time and he'll see me when I get to Cleveland," Proctor said. "Just him welcoming me as soon as I heard my name called is pretty special." But it wasn't until he was sitting in first class on the long flight home to Sydney that it sunk in for Proctor that he would soon be realising his NBA dream. "The plane ride back was a little bit of a moment," he said. "Fourteen hours on a plane, you don't have much to do but really think, and take a sec. "My mum's always telling me to be present so just rewinding a little bit, just thinking about some of the things that have happened. Obviously getting drafted is a big thing and thinking ahead, but not too far ahead." Prior to his three years at famous basketball school Duke University, Proctor attended the NBA Global Academy in Canberra where he became fast friends with current NBA players Dyson Daniels and Josh Giddey. Proctor has sought advice from the pair about the NBA as he prepares to join them on the world's biggest stage. "Dyson is definitely a guy I've spoken to all the time. Giddey here and there as well," Proctor said. "(They've said) how long the season is, I think that's the biggest message that even the vets at Cleveland have said. "It's a long season and you can't burn out too early, you've just got to be consistent the whole season."
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Costs of data breaches dropping globally but not in Canada: IBM study
TORONTO — A new report shows the global average cost of a data breach dropped for the first time in five years — but not in Canada. The average cost of a breach between March 2024 and February 2025 was $6.4 million, down from $6.6 million a year earlier, showed research released Wednesday from technology giant IBM and the Ponemon Institute, a U.S.-based cybersecurity research centre. While global costs are decreasing because of shorter breach life cycles, expenses related to these attacks have risen in Canada, IBM Canada's security delivery leader Daina Proctor said. The average cost of a Canadian breach soared 10.4 per cent to $6.98 million in the latest year studied from $6.32 million the year before. Canada's average is higher because detection and escalation costs, which cover forensic investigators, regulatory responses, legal counsel and crisis communications, have risen, Proctor said. Detection costs now average $470,000 in Canada, while post-breach recovery costs hover around $270,000. At the same time, Canada is facing rising costs because of "slower adoption of AI-driven defences and governance gaps," Proctor said in an email. In the last year, cybersecurity issues have been reported at Nova Scotia Power, the College of New Caledonia in Prince George, B.C., and PowerSchool, the maker of education software used by many Canadian schools. Breaches can be expensive because they can be difficult to detect and assessing and recovering from them can be tedious, time-consuming work requiring many professionals and sometimes, interruptions for customers and workers. Most countries have seen fees associated with a breach drop because it's taking less time to investigate breaches. Yet several countries including Canada bucked that trend. IBM and Ponemon's research showed the cost of data breaches also rose in the U.S., India, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and Benelux — the economic union of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Average breach costs in the United States reached a record US$10.22 million, an increase of nine per cent from last year. When it analyzed 600 organizations impacted by data breaches, it found the most expensive attacks hit the health care sector, followed by the financial, industrial and energy industries. In many instances, hackers made use of shadow artificial intelligence — when workers use AI without employer approval or oversight. 'Shadow AI has become one of the biggest blind spots for organizations today," Proctor said. "Employees are adopting AI tools to boost their productivity, but without oversight, they are inadvertently creating vulnerabilities." Shadow AI systems often process sensitive data and interact with external systems companies have no control over. "Once attackers exploit these gaps, the cascading effects can expose entire systems and supply chains to significant breaches," Proctor said. Twenty per cent of the organizations studied said they suffered a breach due to security incidents involving shadow AI. Global organizations with high levels of shadow AI said use of this technology added $967,011 to the average breach price tag compared to those that had low levels of shadow AI or none. Incidents involving shadow AI also resulted in more personal identifiable information and intellectual property being compromised. To address the risks associated with shadow AI, Proctor said companies need to give workers more approved AI tools and conduct regular audits to find gaps in their offerings and employee compliance. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2025. Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
