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Film Breakdown, Analysis of Dolphins Top Pick Cam Smith

Examines the strengths and weakness of cornerback Cam Smith and how he could help the Dolphins defense right away

The 2023 NFL draft is complete, and the Miami Dolphins made four selections across three days. While it was a mostly quiet weekend for the Dolphins, the four players the team selected will have an opportunity to make an impact (or at least a contribution) this season.

With that in mind, we’ve decided to review the film of each of Miami’s selections to provide fans with a look at what these rookies can bring to the Dolphins roster.

The Dolphins selected South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith at pick No. 51 — their top selection since they lost their first-round pick for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton and traded away the pick they obtained from the 49ers in the deal that landed edge defender Bradley Chubb.

Smith played four years with the Gamecocks, starting 19 times in 33 games. So how does Smith fit into Miami’s defense? Let’s dive in and see what the film tells us.

CAM SMITH'S BALL SKILLS, VERSATILITY

Several traits stick out immediately when watching Smith’s film from 2021 and 2022, none of which are more important than his ball skills and versatility.

On this play against Clemson, Smith puts both of those on display. The broadcast angle doesn’t do this play justice, but it’s easy to see Smith stay on top of his man and then turn to find the ball.

When he does find the ball, he shows the speed to catch up to it and then the ball tracking to get underneath for what looks like an easy interception. There are a lot of college cornerbacks who would have simply batted this ball to the ground, but Smith is looking to create turnovers.

He picked up six interceptions and 18 pass breakups in 33 games, equaling one interception every 5.5 games. Ball production is challenging to predict, but Smith’s natural skills in that area should translate to the NFL level.

This rep also is important because it comes from the slot. Smith played primarily outside for South Carolina, but there are enough slot reps throughout his film to feel confident projecting him to that role in the NFL.

This is important because one of Smith’s clear weaknesses is his wiry frame. Smith weighed 180 pounds at the NFL combine but likely bulked up for that event. He looks thin on film, and his play strength against bigger receivers does raise some concern.

A full-time move to the slot isn’t necessary, but making that his primary function masks Smith’s most significant weakness and gets him on the field earlier. The Dolphins have Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey already on the roster.

Ramsey is another cornerback capable of playing inside and out. He had arguably the best season of his career (2021) playing a lot of slot reps. Smith’s versatility makes Ramsey even better.

Beyond that, it gives the Dolphins options to deal with injuries. Nik Needham and Trill Williams suffered season-ending injuries last season, while players like Howard and Keion Crossen were banged up at different times.

Smith can, in theory, substitute for any of those players.

Smith’s position versatility is important, but so is his scheme versatility. He played plenty of both man and zone coverage at South Carolina, something new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio likely covets.

While the Dolphins, under Fangio, are expected to be primarily a zone team (quarters coverage), Fangio is well known for mixing things up. The Dolphins will still play man coverage this season.

In the clip above, you can see Smith does an excellent job spying on the quarterback’s eyes in the backfield. This allows him to close down the throwing window and get a hand on the ball. These are the instincts and processes needed to play effective zone coverage at the NFL level.

While Smith is great when he can keep his eyes in the backfield, he does tend to be over-aggressive at times. He likes to fire toward the line of scrimmage, so things like double moves and jet motion might trip him up.

If he can learn to be a little more patient and measured while still taking calculated risks, there’s no reason he can be an above-average zone cornerback in the NFL.

CAM SMITH'S PHYSICALITY, RUN DEFENSE

Smith has the right mentality to be a long-term starter at the cornerback position. Elite NFL cornerbacks need a certain level of arrogance and confidence to be good at their job, and Smith has those in abundance.

Despite his short stature, Smith is consistently mixing it up in the running game or trying to make big hits on ball carriers.

This rep against Tennessee is a great example. Again, Smith’s instincts pop off the screen as he quickly diagnoses the screen and fires downhill. He delivers a nice hit on the ball carrier for the tackle for loss.

In a game against Kentucky, Smith ripped down running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. in a one-on-one tackling situation. Rodriguez weighed 225 pounds, making him roughly 45 pounds heavier than Smith.

Most cornerbacks would have tried to trip up Rodriguez or avoid him altogether. Smith went right at him and dragged him down after a small gain. Defensive backs being competent, willing run defenders is a must in Fangio’s scheme, making this another box Smith checks.

As mentioned above, Smith’s physicality and aggressiveness can get him into trouble sometimes. Besides his wiry frame, Smith’s biggest question mark is whether he can learn to be less grabby in coverage. His film is littered with plays likely to be called holding or illegal contact in the NFL.

He loves to get his hands on receivers early in reps, which is fine. However, he’ll need to get better at not tugging at the top of routes when he’s beaten. In an ideal world, playing more zone coverage should help Smith cut down on plays like that.

CAM SMITH BOTTOM LINE

Dolphins fans seemed upset when Smith was selected Friday night. The popular sentiment seems to be that cornerback wasn’t a need for the team.

The Dolphins do have a lot of cornerbacks on the roster and two stars leading the way (Howard, Ramsey), but the draft is about looking ahead as much as focusing on the present.

Howard and Ramsey are approaching the wrong side of 30 — a common drop-off time in cornerback play. Needham is returning from a season-ending injury and is on a one-year deal.

Although Kader Kohu played well last season, it’s important to remember he was a UDFA. He shouldn’t have been, but the long-term success of UDFAs in the NFL is historically volatile.

Williams had a lot of hype coming into last season, but he got injured, and all the hype was based on preseason games. That’s not exactly the best indicator of long-term success either.

We say all this to say cornerback is a premium position, and the Dolphins have question marks there. Yes, the team had bigger needs at offensive line and tight end. But drafting purely for need can lead to reaches and bad picks. The Dolphins stuck with their board and went with Smith.

Smith’s film is quite good, and there’s no reason he can’t be the Dolphins’ primary slot cornerback when the season opens in September. That’s certainly worthy of the 51st overall pick, regardless of bigger needs. 

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