While the Miami Dolphins may have had bigger needs entering the 2023 NFL draft, general manager Chris Grier used the team’s first selection, coming at No. 51 overall, on South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith.
Smith may have been one of the best players on the board, but fans were still questioning the pick on social media.
After the selection was made, Grier and head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media, and the former explained the decision to select Smith despite other needs being more pressing.
“He’s a very talented football player,” Grier said (transcribed by Palm Beach Post’s Joe Schad). “We want to add competition at every position. A really talented player. You can never have enough corners. Versatile. Instinctive. Where he was in the draft we couldn’t pass.”
Grier also pointed to the 2022 season as another reason.
“Teams can never have enough corners, as we experienced last year,” Grier explained (transcribed by the Miami Herald’s Daniel Oyefusi).
In 2022, Miami lost Trill Williams and Nik Needham to season-ending injuries while Byron Jones never played a snap due to Achilles surgery from the prior offseason. Even Xavien Howard, who played most of the season, was doing so with multiple injuries.
This forced undrafted free agent Kader Kohou, and special teams aces Keion Crossen and Justin Bethel into much larger roles.
That shouldn’t be a problem in 2023.
