Michael Sam waited nearly three days to finally hear his name called in the NFL Draft, but the wait finally paid off.
With the 249th pick in the draft, the St. Louis Rams picked Sam, a local college player from Missouri.
Sam was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year, but he was not rated highly as an NFL prospect. His already shaky draft stock dropped following a poor showing at the NFL Combine where he scored poorly on measurable stats. He performed better at his pro day, but his size, speed and shaky athleticism led many to consider him a weak prospect.
Sam is still a good pass rusher and has the heart, but don’t be surprised if he ends up not making the team. Still, just seeing Sam get drafted shows there was not complete discrimination against him because of his sexual orientation.
In related news, Sam’s reaction to being drafted was just as historic as the event of him being drafted. He had his boyfriend by his side during his draft party, and the two shared multiple kisses on national TV to celebrate the occasion. That is sure to offend many people, but it was very sweet and genuine.
Here is the tweet Sam sent after being selected:
Thank you to the St. Louis Rams and the whole city of St. Louis. I'm using every once of this to achieve greatness!! pic.twitter.com/QESdOJVzsw
— Michael Sam (@MikeSamFootball) May 10, 2014
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport also reports that if he didn’t go drafted, Sam likely would have decided between offers from the Bears, Ravens, Rams and Giants.
