This is history.
Six rounds went by before the St. Louis Rams finally decided to give Missouri defensive end Michael Sam a chance. Why is that such a big deal? Because Sam has now become the first openly-gay player to be drafted by an NFL franchise.
Last year with Mizzou, Sam boasted 11.5 sacks and 19 tackles for loss, earning him SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Year honors. Most scouts had concerns after his combine, when he ran the 40-yard dash at 4.91 and questioned the fact that he may be too slow to switch positions to an outside linebacker and too small to be a pure defensive end in the NFL.
Some experts thought Sam would go undrafted, but that’s now how it played out.
OS REWIND: The 2014 NFL Draft 1st Round Picks
ESPN was there as the call that Sam got drafted came in and in one of the most memorable reactions we’ve seen in the draft thus far, Sam broke down into tears of joy after he was selected with the 249th overall pick.
In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated, Michael Sam was reported to saying, “I just wish you guys would just see me as Michael Sam the football player instead of Michael Sam the gay football player.” And that’s how we should all view it as well. Let him prove himself on the field regardless of his orientation.
1 last Sam quote: "I'm telling you, no one has the (testicles) that St. Louis had. And I'm proud to give everything I've got for St. Louis"
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) May 11, 2014