UCF running back Kevin Smith working out for Dolphins

[DolFan619]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-dolrb043008,0,4894767.story

UCF running back Kevin Smith working out for Dolphins

By Omar Kelly
Sun-Sentinel.com

1:16 PM EDT, April 10, 2008

Central Florida running back Kevin Smith, who will work out for the Dolphins on Friday, is holding onto a few secrets he's not sharing.

The Miami native, who led the NCAA in rushing with 2,567 yards and scored 29 touchdowns last season, has had a couple of private workouts with NFL teams, but he's been sworn to secrecy about their identities.

"If I could tell you I would, but I don't want to mess up their promises to me by breaking my promise to them," said Smith, who left those private sessions confident he'll be taken in the first three rounds of this month's NFL draft.

Coincidentally, UM running back Frank Gore, the tailback Smith is often compared to because of his vision to find holes, received similar assurances from the Jets and 49ers before the 2005 draft.

Gore, who has had two seasons rushing for over 1,000 yards, was eventually taken by the 49ers with the first pick in the third round after the Jets used its two second-round selections that year to take kicker Mike Nugent and cornerback Justin Miller.

Smith is one of the more notable of the roughly two dozen local prospects the Dolphins will work out, interview, and put through film sessions on Friday.

With Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams and Lorenzo Booker presently on the roster, the Dolphins don't have a pressing need for a tailback. But the Dolphins front office plans to use the value board to select the best available player in each round. That means a tailback like Smith could be an option in rounds two or three if his draft grade warrants it.

The biggest knock on Smith, who was 61 yards shy of breaking Barry Sanders' all-time NCAA rushing record, is the level of competition he's played against.

"I played against Texas," said Smith, who ran for 149 yards and two touchdowns against the Longhorns. "I played against N.C. State. That's the Big 12 and the ACC. I put up over 100 yards in a loss [to Mississippi State] against the SEC. The only team I didn't go big on was (USF) in the Big East, and I only played a half. Everybody is going to have an opinion. I just play football."

This year's draft features a deep crop of top-shelf running backs, and as many as 10 could be selected in the first three rounds of the draft. Last year eight tailbacks were selected in the first three rounds, and the same amount went in the first three rounds of the 2006 draft.

So what are the strengths Smith, who came out as a junior, feels he brings to the table?

"My vision, being a gamer, being able to adjust at halftime. Being a solid football player," he said. "I didn't have the luxury of coming out of any games this year. Didn't want to either. I played a lot of football, carried the ball a lot, not many fumbles, and a lot of big plays."

[YoFuggedaboutit]

The question is, which round would he go in?

[Defense54]

My Sporting News NFL Draft has him listed as the 6th overall back going in the middle of the 2nd round to early 3rd.

If Miami picks a Back on the first day then they know something seriously uncool about Ronnie Brown.........