Kentucky's Keidron Smith to sign with Dolphins as UDFA

Maybe the biggest surprise of the 2023 NFL Draft for Kentucky football was not only Keidron Smith going undrafted, but the lack of immediate attention he received in free agency. Or maybe he was busy sifting through lucrative offers from teams tripping over themselves looking to scoop him up.

Either way, he wasn’t one of 259 total picks in seven rounds. Then, silence on day one of UDFA, leading into a quiet morning on day two, despite being arguably the best available defensive back out there.

Early silence led to a loud Sunday afternoon, though, as the Miami Dolphins have agreed to a deal with the former Wildcat standout. On3’s Matt Zenitz was the first to break the news.

The #Dolphins are set to sign former Kentucky and Ole Miss defensive back Keidron Smith as an undrafted free agent, a source tells @on3sports. Posted 47 tackles and two interceptions for Kentucky last year.

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) April 30, 2023

Smith received an invite to the Senior Bowl after an impressive super senior campaign that saw him finish with 47 tackles (32 solo), two interceptions, four pass deflections, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in Lexington. He was wildly productive over the course of his four-year career at Ole Miss, as well, combining for 224 tackles (131 solo), five interceptions, 19 pass deflections, eight tackles for loss and five forced fumbles as a Rebel. The 6-foot-2 defensive back combined for 271 tackles and seven picks in five years of SEC football. That’s across 41 career starts.

He was named Second-Team All-SEC at the conclusion of his final season of eligibility.

Smith joins DeAndre Square (Rams), Tashawn Manning (Ravens) and Jacquez Jones (Falcons) to agree to UDFA deals, while Will Levis (Titans, No. 33 overall), Chris Rodriguez (Commanders, No. 193 overall) and Carrington Valentine (Packers, No. 232 overall) make up Kentucky’s draftees.

Linebacker Jordan Wright, safety Tyrell Ajian, kicker Matt Ruffolo and punter Colin Goodfellow make up the program’s other departing pieces still looking for professional opportunities.

Best of luck to Keidron Smith as he works to carve out a role with the Dolphins this offseason.