The numbers that really scream, though, are the 11½ sacks and 19 tackles-for-loss that he had in 2013.Īs a player last season, McShay added, "He really came into his own."
He regards him as a "tweener" whose size (6-1, 260) puts him between the prototype size for a defensive end and an outside linebacker. McShay projects Sam as a third- to fifth-round prospect. View Gallery: Michael Sam's career highlights "I hope he'll be evaluated as a football player," McShay said. Maybe it's dated intel to NFL teams, but to NFL culture and society, Sam is a game-changer. Like where a guy had dinner last night.Īn NFL general manager speaking on condition of anonymity for competitive reasons texted me on Sunday night about Sam coming out: "Old news." While this is a bombshell news event that makes the Manti Teo catfishing saga surrounding last year's draft now appear as something in a small pond, comparatively, it hardly catches NFL teams by surprise. "Those kinds of players are in short supply." "He's a good player, and he's a pass-rusher," former NFL general manager Bill Polian told USA TODAY Sports. Sam came out in interviews with ESPN and The New York Times. Here's to hoping that his stock remains what it would have been without the breaking news. Maybe to some homophobics, Sam's stock has suddenly plummeted. His bold move, less than two weeks before Sam will be timed, tested, examined and interviewed along with about 200 other prospects by teams at the NFL combine, may have raised his draft stock in some eyes because of his courage. Yet Sam - a first-team All-America selection whom ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay told USA TODAY Sports might have been college football's most dominant player during the first half of his breakout season in 2013 - has essentially freed himself of some enormous internal pressure. Sam will also be the first openly gay player in the macho world of the NFL - which for decades has included homosexual players who kept their secret out of the public domain, or in some cases, at least until they retired. What a courageous revelation by the Missouri defensive end, who has taken matters into his own hands and come out as gay. It turns out that that neither Johnny Manziel nor Jadeveon Clowney will be the most scrutinized player in the upcoming NFL Draft.
Watch Video: NFL prospect Michael Sam announces he is gay