Reggie

Smith

Smith, 26, was out of football last year after being one of the final cuts in Panthers camp. The No. 75 pick of the 2008 draft is a career reserve and special teamer. Smith will add depth to arguably the weakest roster in the league.

Smith and fellow free agent S Madieu Williams “will be looking for starting roles” when the market opens on March 13. The 75th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Smith has starting-caliber tools and could be one of the better “second-tier” free agent targets. He goes 6-foot-1, 200 and played corner at Oklahoma.

“Reggie has been on our radar since the beginning of free agency and is a player we think can come in and compete at safety,” said GM Marty Hurney. Outside of a seven-game stint to close out 2010, Smith has been a reserve and special teamer in 44 games dating back to 2008.

The Niners are expected to either franchise tag FS Dashon Goldson or lock him up long term, which would have left Smith as a third safety for another year behind Goldson and SS Donte Whitner. The 75th overall pick in the 2008 draft, Smith was a college cornerback. He held his own in seven starts two seasons ago, and should draw some interest as a starter in free agency.

Smith is a converted corner that was a third-round pick in 2008. We’d expect him to hold on to his gig.

Smith, who played corner and safety at Oklahoma, was a third-round pick last offseason. He’ll push FS Dashon Goldson for playing time this summer.

Lynch predicts that rookie second-rounder Chilo Rachal and third-rounder Reggie Smith will join Balmer on the inactive list more often than not this fall. Sixth-round receiver Josh Morgan will be under a lot of pressure to salvage the ’08 draft class.

The Niners are hoping that Smith will push Walt Harris at right corner opposite Nate clemens. That would likely result in Smith being targeted quite often by offenses, thus giving the rookie some IDP potential.

Spencer missed last week’s game after injuring the knee in Week 2 against the Seahawks. Tarell Brown and Donald Strickland will compete to fill Spencer’s role. Rookie Reggie Smith will likely also get a shot on defense.