These Dolphins veterans are affected by the NFL Draft picks
MIAMI GARDENS — Jalen Ramsey has said he's a defensive back, not just a cornerback, and so when the Dolphins drafted cornerback Cam Smith in the second round this week, it raised a question.
Could Ramsey possibly be shifted to safety?
"No," Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said at the conclusion of the draft, deftly smiling. "Only because he’s really good at corner and so I try not to mess really good up."
Added Miami general manager Chris Grier, with a grin: "He’s not bad."
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Whenever a player is drafted, the natural instinct is to try to determine what it means for the players already on Miami's roster.
After all, cornerback seemed to be a position of depth.
"We can never have enough corners," Grier said.
Grier, logically, tries to think about not just this season but also 2024, as Miami makes its draft selections.
And so, yes, it's possible Smith succeeds Howard in 2024, with the veteran eventually traded.
Most NFL general managers try to avoid being put in a position where they have to draft a player to fill a hole.
If Howard or Ramsey is injured in 2023, then, sure, Smith could fill a huge hole.
But let's take a look at five veterans who could be directly impacted by Miami's five picks:
CB Kader Kohou
As an undrafted rookie, Kohou was graded as the 36th-best cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, best on the Dolphins. By comparison, Howard (struggling through injuries) was ranked 79th.
Kohou can play outside but entered the draft as Miami's slot corner. Does that change if Cam Smith is too good to keep off the field and Howard and Ramsey are healthy?
It's good news for Kohou that Smith said he and Miami plan to start his training at outside corner, before cross-training him inside.
It's also possible Miami has at least one package with Howard, Ramsey, Smith and Kohou all on the field at the same time.
CB Noah Igbinoghene
Igbinoghene has PFF-graded 37.1, 52.2 and 51.8 in three seasons of limited action for the Dolphins. The addition of Smith figures to end the disappointing experiment of former first-rounder Igbinoghene.
A terrific athlete, Igbingohene never seems to put it together when it came to instincts, technique, body positioning and mastery of scheme.
Miami will instead likely hope Nik Needham and/or Trill Williams make it back from injury and join the roster.
RB Myles Gaskin
Gaskin was one of four running backs to re-sign with the Dolphins this off-season, but the addition of third-rounder Devon Achane puts his spot in serious jeopardy.
If Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, Achane and Salvon Ahmed all make it through camp healthy, it will be tough for Gaskin to hang on. But he is somewhat of an underdog survivor, so never count him out entirely.
The Dolphins wouldn't have bothered to re-sign Gaskin if they didn't see value, especially as a pass-catcher.
TE Tanner Conner
There are a lot of physical similarities between Conner, an undrafted receiver converted to tight end last year, and 6th-rounder Elijah Higgins of Stanford. Like Conner, Higgins will be converted to tight end.
Miami kept Conner on the 53-man roster throughout last season, purely in a developmental role. It will be interesting to see if Higgins is so impressive that Miami feels forced to make a similar move on Aug. 29, the NFL's one cut-down day this year.
Because Durham Smythe and Eric Saubert are Miami's only other tight ends, both Conner and Higgins figure to get a legitimate chance to shine in the spring and summer.
OT Austin Jackson
We are not suggesting that Jackson, a former first-round pick, could be beaten out by rookie seventh-rounder Ryan Hayes of Michigan. But he was the only offensive lineman Miami drafted.
Miami wants to give Jackson a chance to show he's healthy and can use his athleticism to his advantage in its zone scheme offense. Hayes was a late pick but he did allow no sacks last season.
Hayes is more likely competing for a roster spot with players such as Geron Christian, Kendall Lamm and Kion Smith. But one never knows how good he may turn out to be.
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at.jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NFL Draft 2023: Here's how the picks affect Dolphins veterans
