Miami Dolphins didn't need a cornerback but got a good one in South Carolina's Cam Smith

MIAMI GARDENS — The Dolphins passed on tight ends and offensive linemen to select South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith in the second round, 51st overall, on Friday night.

Smith can play inside or out and is a natural fit for Vic Fangio's zone scheme defense.

Smith is reliable, versatile, quick, fluid and tough.

"(Miami) came to a lot of our practices," Cam Smith said Friday. "The son of the general manager (Chris Grier) was on our team."

Miami has Pro Bowl corners Xavien Howard and Jalen Ramsey on the roster.

So does this mean Miami is hoping Smith will one day (as early as 2024?) succeed Howard as starter?

Maybe.

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Howard has said he plans to bounce back after a sub-par 2022.

"It's a blessing," Smith said of playing with Howard and Ramsey. "I have learned the ins and outs at South Carolina and hope to do the same thing with Jalen and Xavien."

Smith said that in a conversation with Grier he expressed an interest to get his feet wet in the NFL at outside cornerback, then cross-train later at inside/slot/nickel corner.

Smith is 6-foot-1, 180 pounds. He makes plays on the ball but also has been called for a few penalties.

"Cam is a very talented football player," Grier said. "In the AFC, with a lot of talented quarterbacks and teams, you can never have enough corners. He's versatile. He has instincts. Where he was in the draft, we just couldn't pass on the opportunity."

Smith said after last season he was trying to add weight with the help of protein shakes.

According to a scouting report from The Ringer: "Smith is competitive at the line, crowding opposing receivers before jamming them to disrupt timing and force a reroute. He has quick feet and loose hips, staying low to smoothly transition from backpedal to half-turn or trailing technique without gearing down."

Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds and improved his stock with a strong NFL Scouting Combine performance.

Smith said Fangio is a "wise dude" who "stays on you" and "pays attention to detail."

The Dolphins could have selected tight end Darnell Washington of Georgia or Tucker Kraft of South Dakota State.

They could have selected guard O'Cyrus Torrance or quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Grier has always valued cornerbacks and, in fact, he once selected Howard in the second round.

Recent first-round cornerback pick Noah Igbinoghene of Auburn has not panned out.

Miami does have solid cornerback depth with Kader Kohou and Nik Needham.

"Talented kid," ESPN's Mel Kiper said. "Inconsistent. Lack of attention to detail. Some penalties and missed tackles. In some games, he looked like a first-round-caliber performer. He's a guy who flashed."

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: Cam Smith: Miami Dolphins pick South Carolina cornerback in NFL Draft