Sean Smith

Sean Lee Smith (born July 14, 1987) is a former American football cornerback.

He fell into the 99th percentile among cornerbacks for height and was among the 98th percentile in weight.

At the 2005 CIF-SS Division IV, he qualified for the state finals in the 100-meter dash (11.36 s) and the 200-meter dash (22.48 s), placing 13th and 7th respectively in the finals.

In addition, he also ran a leg on the Blair 4 × 100 m relay squad.

Smith was redshirted for the 2005 season.

During 2006, his redshirt freshman year, he played as a wide receiver for the first eleven games before moving to cornerback, he played in all 13 games ending with seven rushes for 63 yards (9.0 average) and one reception for 12 yards.

In 2007, he started in ten games for the Utes, nine at cornerback.

He had four interceptions, which was the best for a single player in the Mountain West that year, and tied the Utah single-game record with four pass breakups against the New Mexico Lobos toward the end of the 2007 season.

In 2008, Smith started in all but one game for the Utes, finishing First-Team All-Mountain West defensive back.

His five interceptions on the season were the most on the team and tied for first in the conference.

He was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft.

He has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders.

He played college football at Utah.

Smith attended Blair High School in Pasadena, California, where he played football, basketball, and ran track.

In football, he gained All-Conference, All-State, and All-American honors as a senior after rushing for over 1,500 yards with 18 touchdowns, helping lead Blair High School to its best record in 10 years.

He also had 547 receiving yards and over 400 yards in kickoff returns.

In track & field, Smith competed in sprints.

Smith's best performance, though, may have come in the 2009 Sugar Bowl, where he had six tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a huge pass breakup in Utah's stunning 31-17 victory over the Alabama Crimson Tide.

Smith decided to forgo his senior year to enter the 2009 NFL Draft.

Smith entered the 2009 NFL Draft as a highly touted cornerback prospect that possessed one of the biggest frames ever seen for the position.

The Miami Dolphins selected Smith in the second round (61st overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft.

Smith was the sixth overall cornerback drafted and was the second cornerback selected by the Miami Dolphins in 2009.

On July 24, 2009, the Miami Dolphins signed Smith to a four-year, $3.16 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $945,000.

Throughout training camp, Smith competed to be a starting cornerback against veterans Jason Allen, Eric Green, and rookie first round pick Vontae Davis.

Head coach Tony Sparano officially named Smith a starting cornerback to start the regular season, along with Will Allen.

He made his professional regular season debut in the Miami Dolphins' season-high-opener at the Atlanta Falcons and recorded two solo tackles and deflected two passes in their 19–7 loss.

He made his first career tackle on running back Jerious Norwood during a two-yard gain in the first quarter.

On November 1, 2009, Smith collected a season-high six solo tackles and a pass deflection in a 30–25 victory at the New York Jets in Week 8.

The following week, he tied his season-high of six solo tackles during a 27–17 loss at the New England Patriots in Week 7.

He completed his rookie season with 39 combined tackles (32 solo) and 12 pass deflections in 16 games and 16 starts.

He earned an overall grade of 77.7 from Pro Football Focus and ranked 34th among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2009.

Smith and Vontae Davis entered training camp slated as the starting cornerbacks but also received competition from Will Allen and Jason Allen.

On September 6, 2010, head coach Tony Sparano surprised many analysts and fans when he announced Jason Allen would replace Sean Smith as the starting cornerback for the season-opener.

He was demoted after struggling against wide receivers Roddy White and Sam Hurd during the preseason and was a healthy scratch for the Dolphins' 15–10 victory at the Buffalo Bills in the season-opener.

On October 31, 2010, Smith recorded a tackle, deflected two passes, and made his first career interception in the Dolphins' 22–14 victory at the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8.

He intercepted a pass attempt by quarterback Carson Palmer, that was intended for wide receiver Terrell Owens, and returned it for an 18-yard gain before being tackled by Andre Caldwell.

His performance earned him back his job as a starting cornerback as he replaced Jason Allen who was subsequently waived on November 10, 2010.

In Week 10, Smith collected a season-high six combined tackles during a 29–17 victory against the Tennessee Titans.

He finished the season with 51 combined tackles (43 solo), nine passes defended, and an interception in 15 games and eight starts.

Smith received an overall grade of 82.9 from Pro Football Focus and ranked 19th among all qualifying cornerbacks in 2010.