Dolphins select South Carolina CB Cam Smith with No. 51 overall pick in 2023 NFL Draft

The Dolphins selected South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith with the No. 51 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night, using their first pick on an athletic defensive back for new coordinator Vic Fangio.

A three-year starter in college, Smith, 22, recorded 91 tackles, 24 pass deflections and six interceptions in 33 games. The 6-foot, 180-pound Smith registered 27 tackles, six pass deflections and an interception in the 2022 season and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Smith, a native of Blythewood, South Carolina, said he didn’t have a lot of communication with the Dolphins during the predraft process. They met at the combine and had a late-scheduled “30” visit at Miami’s facility, which he thought was an indication of the team’s interest. But there was a deep level of familiarity for general manager Chris Grier. Grier’s son, Landon, is a member of the South Carolina football team and Smith said he and Landon often spoke about the “ins and outs” of the NFL.

“It was kind of crazy because I was just calling Landon because we were just talking about how if I fell late into the second round, it could be that [the Dolphins pick him],” Smith said. “I was just going off of what he was saying about the process, and then what Chris Grier was saying when I was on my visit. If they had the chance to get me, they would come and get me, and they stayed true to that. Just being on the phone with Landon right before that and seeing them call me with that 954 number, it’s crazy.”

Inside the emotional 2-day wait that made South Carolina’s Cam Smith a Miami Dolphin

According to Pro Football Focus, Smith played 356 snaps on the boundary and 196 snaps in the slot, which projects a versatile role at the next level. Smith said he spoke to Chris Grier about honing his technique on the outside and then making a move to the nickel position.

“My hands and fits being all together in one, I feel like that’s the best thing that separates me from a lot of dudes,” Smith said.

Smith has shown a knack for getting his hands on the ball. Of his 70 targets in the past two seasons, 15 were broken up and four were intercepted. But he’s also been the source of penalties. According to PFF, he committed 10 penalties in 2022, tied for the second-most for any cornerback in college.

Smith joins a cornerback room that was upgraded this offseason after an injury-riddled season. Byron Jones didn’t play a down after undergoing surgery on his leg last offseason and was released days before free agency.

Nik Needham tore his Achilles in the first half of the season and Trill Williams tore his ACL in the preseason opener. Xavien Howard also dealt with a nagging groin injury throughout the year.

Miami traded for Jalen Ramsey days before free agency opened and re-signed Needham, along with Justin Bethel. Kader Kohou, who started 13 games as a rookie, Keion Crossen, Noah Igbinoghene and Tino Ellis are also on the roster.

“You can never have enough corners as we experienced last year, with the rash of injuries that we dealt with,” Chris Grier said. “... He’s a talented athlete. He’s versatile. He’s played a lot outside. He’s played nickel. It’s just the football player and the instincts, so we’re just excited. We thought he was a good fit and where he was in the draft, we just couldn’t pass on the opportunity.”

Cornerback wasn’t a big need for the Dolphins, who entered the draft with a need at tight end and saw a best-case scenario unfold in Round 1 on Thursday night: only one tight end was taken with Utah’s Dalton Kincaid going to the Buffalo Bills. But early on Friday night, a run on tight ends began, as assistant general manager Marvin Allen foreshadowed last week.

The Detroit Lions selected Iowa’s Sam LaPorta, a popular Dolphins mock pick, at No. 34 overall. The Las Vegas Raiders then traded up to No. 35 to pick Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer.

The Los Angeles Rams picked TCU offensive lineman Steve Avila at No. 36 and the Atlanta Falcons traded up to select Syracuse offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron, taking a pair of popular offensive linemen mocked to Miami off the board, too.

The Green Bay Packers then selected Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave with the No. 42 overall pick and doubled down by selecting South Dakota State’s Tucker Kraft in the third round at No. 78.

Georgia tight end Darnell Washington, another popular prediction, was available at No. 51 but reportedly fell because of concerns with a knee injury. He was ultimately picked by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the No. 93 pick.

“When we do our board, we go through it, and there were a lot of good players that were picked too ahead of us,” Chris Grier said. “We look at every position, we go through it. I think you guys are probably more worried than we are, in terms of the position depth at [tight end and offensive line]. But at the end of the day, we added a good football player. We’re happy. And like we say, it doesn’t end with the draft. There’s still guys we’re talking to in free agency, on the streets. So we’re still working through it, and we’ll keep adding the players we think fit for us.”

Smith was the first of two picks for the Dolphins on Friday night. Miami selected Texas A&M running back Devon Achane with the No. 84 overall pick in the following round.

The Dolphins have two picks on Day 3, one each in the sixth round (No. 197) and seventh round (No. 238).