Michael Sam says ‘I can play in this league’ after debut
By Mike Dyce
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.”