Congratulations to Michael Sam on becoming the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL. Hopefully he is able to earn a roster spot (on his merits as a player alone) and become the first openly gay player in the NFL. This is a huge step forward.
Imagine if tim tebow was gay
ReplyDeleteI am struck by the fact that the Defensive Player of the Year from the SEC, a conference that has spent the last decade (at least) insisting that it's the best conference in the country because it has the best defenses, lasted until late in the 7th round. Jason Lisk was thinking about this situation months ago here: http://thebiglead.com/2014/02/10/michael-sam-only-one-other-sec-defensive-player-of-the-year-has-been-drafted-outside-the-first-two-rounds/
ReplyDeleteI don't think he was drafted where he was solely on his merits as a player; I can accept that scouts and such (who are a hell of a lot smarter about football than I am) pegged him as a mid-round talent who might or might not pan out, but I have to think he dropped even further because of questions about how he's going to fit into a locker room and team culture.
Nonetheless, he got drafted, and I think/hope it is a good fit. I kind of wonder if is to his benefit to be drafted in later rounds by a strong defensive team. There won't be much immediate pressure on him as a player, or a huge spotlight--he can go about the business of adjusting his training and playing to the NFL level without a team depending too much on him, there are established defensive coaches and players in place who must have felt he'd be a fine addition, etc. Maybe he isn't ready to be a star, or even a starter--and if he's not, maybe this draft position and a stable team gives him a chance to grow into that role.
Whatever the case, Sam was drafted, and it's a start.
Also, since I generally only mention ESPN to complain about it, I should take a moment to acknowledge the great job they did covering Sam's drafting. Nice work.
ReplyDeleteFrom all i heard was sam was going to be a 5-6 round choice. And he fell to the 7th. Was that because hes gay and they didnt want the distraction. Sure. Also could have been that he didnt impress too much on his pro day and the combine. I hope he makes the team
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