The St. Louis Rams stepped up to be the team to select the openly gay Michael Sam in the seventh round of the draft. Hard to believe it’d be a risky to take him considering he was the SEC defensive player of the year, but all Sam wanted was a chance.
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On Friday night, Sam made his debut in the preseason and came away confident.
“That I can play in this league,” Sam told reporters Friday night, via the USA Today. “That’s the most important. I was kind of nervous. I got some nerves out today. It was a very good learning experience, and I can play in this league.”
Despite a fairly solid performance in his first NFL action, the detractors are still there doubting him.
“I think he’s going to struggle against the run. But he does have a little juice off the edge,” one NFL scouts told USA Today Sports anonymously.
“He’s a chase player right now. He’s too stiff to play inside. He’s got straight-line speed. I don’t think he has very good quickness. It’s a bit surprising he played left end because he’s not that strong.”