With only a few days under his belt as a professional, Kaleb Proctor has not had many "welcome to the NFL" moments.

Those will come as practices ramp up and the defensive lineman put on pads.

But it didn't take long to realize he is no longer in Hammond, Louisiana.

"Man, I get lost in the building sometimes and that's something I've never had to worry about," Proctor said. "You got refrigerators with any type of drink you could think of. It's definitely a blessing."

Proctor played at Southeastern Louisiana University, an FCS school out of the Southland Conference with few perks for football players. Despite having offers to transfer to the FBS level, he finished his career with the Lions. During his senior season, the defensive lineman was named the Southland Player of the Year after he was the team leader with 13 tackles for loss and nine sacks.

When the Cardinals selected Proctor in the fourth round, he became the first FCS player to be drafted in 2026. It had also been a decade since the last player from Southeastern Louisiana was drafted. In 2016, defensive back Harlan Miller was taken in the sixth round, also by the Cardinals.

"Everything you have done to get you here, yes, it's good, but now it's time to get better," Proctor said. "I'm pretty sure everybody that's here in this building was the best guy on their team, and they went to a lot bigger schools than the school that I went to. (The Player of the Year award) gives me a sense of confidence and a sense of 'hey, you belong here. You can do it.' But it's not something that I'm going to hang my hat on."

Proctor's tape against his conference opponents was valued by the front office, but it was his performance against LSU which caught the Cardinals' collective eye. Coach Mike LaFleur believes while "tie goes to the guy that had better competition, ultimately, you've got to put that away."

Proctor recorded two sacks and three tackles for loss against LSU.

"You just look at his traits," LaFleur said. "The thing that stood out to me about him was his play style. I said that about Chase (Bisontis) from an offensive line perspective, and I see the same thing from him. I'm real excited to get working with him and see what he brings to that room."

The defensive line room is younger, especially after the departures of Calais Campbell and Dalvin Tomlinson. Defensive tackles Andrew Billings and Roy Lopez anchor a depth chart with Walter Nolen III, Darius Robinson, and Dante Stills.

Proctor will be in a battle for playing time. Proctor said he's enjoyed is studying the scheme, describing it as a "hunt-type of defense."

"Right now, I'm just trying to put my best foot forward," Proctor said. "Get into learning the playbook, see where I fit in throughout this defense (and) carve out myself a role."

But as he learns the ins and outs of being a professional, the first step is creating a routine. It's an aspect Proctor has kept an eye on, trying to see how his teammates prepare.

In Proctor's case, not being in Louisiana will benefit him for this next chapter.

"That's what these days are for," Proctor said. "Right now, I'm going to get in the hot tub and cold tub. It's something I didn't have at the FCS level. I'm feeling it out, seeing what works best for me, and what helps me get going."