A big story of the 2014 NFL Draft was where was Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, now the first openly gay player taken in the NFL draft, would be selected. Despite a decorated college career, the 6’2″, 261 pound Sam was chosen by the St. Louis Rams as the 249th overall pick out of 256 total picks.
Many scouts, who refused to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, defended their grading of Sam, insisting that his sexuality played no part, saying there are very legitimate reasons why he was not drafted earlier.
“Sure, he played in the best conference in college football. Sure, he was the Southeastern Conference’s co-Defensive Player of the Year after leading the conferences with 11.5 sacks and numerous tackles for loss during the 2013 season. But many of his tackles were performed using what appears to be a limp-wristed tackling style.
“He’s going to have to change from defensive end to linebacker. I don’t know any players who have ever done that successfully.”
“Another big question mark is that some of the music on his iPod is a bit questionable. But this has nothing to do with being gay at all.”
“There’s also his name. Michael Sam. That’s two first names right there. That’s going to cause all kinds of confusion out on the field. I don’t know a lot of teams willing to put up with the chaos that something like that could cause.”
The Rams coach Jeff Fischer says “not to worry, as we have had some special equipment made that will allow him to thrive with his particular style. It’s called helmet and shoulder pads. Play ball.”