NFL draft prospect Michael Sam comes out

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by mlmdub130

Just to play devils advocate, you say he got most of his sacks against lesser competition, I say it is still the SEC, and those teams give out scholarships too. At the end of the year the award for best defensive player in the SEC doesn't go to the guy who was ok, it goes to the best player in the SEC. And as recent history shows us the player to win SEC defensive player of the year is usually a very good talent. Here is a list of the most recent and where they were drafted.
Michael Sam ?
J Jones 17th overall
M Claiborne 6th overall
P Peterson 5th overall
R McClain 8th overall
E Berry 5th overall
G Dorsey 5th overall

And then there's the list of single season sack leaders from Mizzou
1. Michael Sam 11.5, ?
1. Aldon Smith 11.5, 7th overall pick
2. Justin Smith 11, 4th overall pick

As an outsider with no real football knowledge you would think the player to win SEC defensive player of the year stands a very good chance of being drafted in the top 10, let alone the 1st round. It leads me to wonder if maybe his draft stock was already going down because there were rumors of his sexuality being in question. And rather than have any rumors out there he just took it head on instead of beating around the bush.

It's just weird for me to hear the pedigree of the SEC D player of the year and then to hear some one say this kid could fall to the 5th or 6th round, makes no sense to me.

Cursory reviews of college statistics don't apply. Only an assessment of his skills and how they may translate to the NFL can tell how he might play. Don't take my word for it, here's a scouting report. But basically, he's a tweener (6'2" 260 lbs) without the top-flight speed and burst.

Michael Sam: The Scouting Report | Audibles - SI.com

Pros: Comes off the snap with speed and burst to the outside, and can beat blocks on inside stunts. Gets a good ride on a blocker’s inside shoulder and can push people back when he gets a full head of steam. Has decent redirect and recognition ability — will turn to run and tackle with effort even after he’s beaten, though he doesn’t always hit the mark. Has enough foot agility to deal with cut blocks. Will work through gaps more like a running back than a defensive end — has good patience in waiting for things to open up at the line. Gets his sacks more through effort than technique, though the effort is clear and consistent.

Cons: Sam needs to be given free space to really do his thing. He’s not an overwhelmingly powerful bull-rusher, nor does he yet possess the array of hand moves and foot fakes that would allow him to elude blockers one-on-one. As a result, he tends to get overwhelmed in the wash of blockers too often. Needs more functional upper-body strength — tends to lose leverage battles even when he establishes lower pad level. This liability becomes even more pronounced when he slips inside in front adjustments and has to deal with a guard and maybe a center on double-teams — he can’t consistently work through power to make plays. Sam also finds it hard to get a second effective strike on a blocker after he’s been stood up on initial impact.
Open-field speed could be an issue at the next level; Sam tends to glide more than he accelerates. Doesn’t have the kind of inside counter (think Dwight Freeney) that would allow him to exert pressure after he’s been pushed out of the pocket. Lacks “get-up” speed in short spaces and plays will move right by him before he can get there. Hasn’t dropped into coverage a lot, though physical limitations make one wonder if he’ll be able to do that at an elite level.

Conclusion: Given the nature of Michael Sam’s story, he’ll be an important NFL individual if he makes it through an NFL training camp. Unfortunately, the nature of his play will leave a lot of teams wondering if he’s worth the trouble. That would be true if he was a first-round prospect, but for a guy whose tape shows early third-day talent, things are far more complex. Taking the narrative aside, I think Sam could be a reasonably effective player in a 4-3 defensive line rotation, or a run-side endbacker in a 3-4, if he improves his technique and finds a way to use more pure power on the field. The speed probably is what it is, and that’s a problem — because edge-rushers need more than the burst he currently has, and tweeners who move inside require far more ability to move people than he’s shown.
Michael Sam has shown a great deal of courage and self-knowledge in doing what he’s done. There’s no doubt about that. But his NFL future is far murkier, and that has nothing to do with anything but the ultimate equalizer — pure talent.