Michael Sam Will Be Picked Late in NFL Draft, If He Gets Picked, Experts Say

The NFL draft begins on Thursday, May 8. So how are gay Missouri defensive end Michael Sam's prospects looking?

According to a new article on NFL.com's Michael Hanzus they're not looking very good:

"The reason you don't hear much about Sam anymore a few days before the draft is this is the time for real players," McGinn wrote Monday. "Based on discussions over the last month about Sam's capability as a player with about two dozen NFL executives in personnel, he's regarded almost as a non-entity."

Strong words from McGinn, who polled 21 scouts with national responsibilities. Three said Sam was a fifth-round talent. Three said sixth round. Three said seventh round and five said they would sign him as a free agent. Seven scouts said they wouldn't sign him at all.

The issue for Sam comes down to size and speed. He's undersized (6-foot-2 and 262 pounds) for the defensive end/outside linebacker positions and not fast enough to excel in coverage. Sam struggled at the NFL Scouting Combine, though he did manage to improve on measurables at his pro day.

Hanzus adds: "If Sam does come off the board, expect it to happen Saturday when rounds four through seven are selected. It sounds like a very real possibility we don't hear his name called at all."

Let's hope they're wrong and Sam does get picked. We'll be rooting for him.

As Bleacher Report notes:

But if 256 names get called from Thursday-Saturday and Sam is not one—remember, roughly half the executives McGinn talked to said they would draft Sam as high as the fifth round—the NFL will have missed out on a potential culture-changing moment.