Looking to bolster its secondary, the Miami Dolphins selected South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith with the 51st overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
Smith is the sixth Gamecock drafted in team history and the first since 2003.
Here are five things to know about the Dolphins new cornerback, Cam Smith:
1. Consistent Competitor
After redshirting as a true freshman in 2019, Smith made 19 starts over his final three seasons in Columbia. He totaled 91 tackles, 24 passes defensed, six interceptions and one forced fumble.
Smith was named 2022 second-team All-SEC (Phil Steele), 2021 second-team All-SEC (Associated Press, ProFootballFocus) and 2021 honorable mention All-America (ProFootballFocus).
2. Ballhawk from Blythewood
Smith, who hails from Blythewood, South Carolina, the same hometown as current Dolphins cornerback Justin Bethel, is known for finding the ball.
According to ProFootballFocus, "Smith gets his hands on passes more frequently than any other cornerback in this class. Of his 70 targets over the past two seasons, Smith broke up 15 of them and picked off four others. He's an instinctive and versatile player."
3. A Line of Great Gamecocks
Smith is the latest in a strong lineage of cornerbacks to come out of South Carolina. Notable Gamecock cornerbacks currently in the NFL include Stephon Gilmore, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and Jaycee Horn, the eighth overall pick in 2021.
Smith played two seasons alongside Horn at South Carolina and got some valuable advice from the former first-round pick ahead of this year's NFL combine.
4. Cam at the Combine
Smith recorded an 11' 2" broad jump at the NFL combine, the third-best of any cornerback this year. It also ranks in the top five percent of all cornerbacks since 2003 according to Next Gen Stats.
5. Success in the Second Round
Smith is Miami's first cornerback taken in the second round since 2016, when the Dolphins traded up to take Xavien Howard with the 38th pick. Howard is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and the longest-tenured player on the team.
Smith will join Howard in a talented cornerbacks room under first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
