Thanks to trades and a tampering penalty, the Dolphins navigated a draft light on picks. The Kansas City-based event ended up concluding with four Dolphins picks made. Miami now has each member of its rookie quartet signed.
The team reached an agreement with second-round cornerback Cam Smith, the 51st overall pick this year, on Wednesday. A South Carolina product, Smith will join an accomplished cornerback duo — Xavien Howard–Jalen Ramsey — as he readies for his first training camp in Miami.
More than 20 draft picks remain unsigned, with the second round comprising much of that total. While guarantee figures are largely holding up Round 2 draftees on the contract front, the Chargers coming to terms with Tuli Tuipulotu (No. 54 overall) last week likely helped move matters along. Still, the bulk of the players chosen in the 40-50 range remain unsigned. Smith’s agreement, in turn, should help clear up some terms for other teams with draftees in this neighborhood. The Nos. 50 and 52 overall picks — Packers wideout Jayden Reed and Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet — are unsigned.
The Dolphins played all of last season without Byron Jones, who has since been released as a post-June 1 cut. This depleted Miami’s cornerback contingent, but Vic Fangio will have both Ramsey and Smith at his disposal alongside Howard. Smith totaled six interceptions and 18 pass breakups with the Gamecocks, primarily operating as the team’s nickel corner. That allowed him to live up to expectations as a former four-star recruit and solidify his status as an early-round cornerback prospect.
When Smith declared for the draft in December, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller and Todd McShay ranked him as the draft’s second-best corner available. But the 6-foot cover man’s stock slipped a bit leading up to the April event. By draft weekend, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. had Smith ranked 80th overall and as this prospect pool’s 15th-best corner. The multiyear SEC defender will attempt to prove the slippage was unwarranted, and he will step into a rare spot given the talents of Ramsey and Howard.
The Dolphins attempted to land a long-term slot defender in the 2020 first round, taking Noah Igbinoghene. But the Auburn alum has not carved out a regular role as a pro. Smith’s arrival may well put the fourth-year defender on shaky ground to make the 53-man roster. The Dolphins also received promising play from UDFA Kader Kohou last season, providing more protection as Fangio assembles his first Miami defense.
Trades for Ramsey, Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb — and the tampering punishment related to the Tom Brady and Sean Payton pursuits — left the Dolphins with four picks. Here is Miami’s 2023 draft class:
Round 2, No. 51: Cam Smith, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 3, No. 84: Devon Achane, RB (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 6, No. 197: Elijah Higgins, TE (Stanford) (signed)
Round 7, No. 238: Ryan Hayes, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Dolphins really hoping Tua can stay healthy.
Not sure why Dolphins went with Mike White as QB.
Heinicke, Mariota would have been better choices to lean on in the event Tua gets hurt.
I know Matt Ryan had a pretty awful season in Indy but bringing him in as a backup with the weapons they have and run game they have think Ryan could have been a very good game manager in that offense if Tua went down. Esp if they wind up with Dalvin Cook.
I enjoyed Matty Ice for years, but Matt Ryan hit a wall last year, that guy is done in the NFL. I think Carson Wentz would be a great bench stash for the Dolphins. The guy can throw it deep and accurately. With Waddle and Hill stretching the field Wentz could help this offense on the off chance Tua is unable to play.
Wentz and Ryan have the same issue at this point in their careers-they need good offensive line play to stay healthy and operate from a clean pocket. Neither one got that in Indianapolis. Ironically, Ryan actually looked like he was thinner and moving better in the pocket at the beginning of the year, but too many hits on a late thirties body is not sustainable. Wentz has just had about every injury he could have to slow him down-back, knee, both feet. Both of those guys need to be able to release the ball quickly to survive.
Mariota has the advantage of mobility, and has experience stepping in to a game from the bench and starting numerous games. He’s not much of a pocket passer, and I would wager that there would be a drop off from Tua in that department. Tua isn’t known for being mobile, but he is certainly in good enough shape to run bootlegs or move laterally on slides that would likely be more difficult with either Wentz or Ryan at this stage of their careers. Mariota could do that, and I would guess that those plays should come naturally in a Mike McDaniel run scheme. Shanahan liked them, and Ryan should have experience with some of the concepts that he imparted on McDaniel, but I don’t know if I’d want him running them every game in 2023.
Mike White is an astonishingly accurate and polished pocket passer as a backup, but he suffers from an almost old school lack of mobility back there that puts a large reliance on his line to protect him and his receivers to get open. He does read the field very well, even if he sometimes take chances later in games. The Jets ran a few similar concepts under Mike LaFluer with White that should help in Miami, and they played them twice last year, so hopefully for the Dolphins that familiarity will help White ease into the offense if it should be necessary.
Well said AK, it sounds like the Dolphins need to have a strong O-line this year in order to keep their QB up right regardless of who is playing the position.