Michael Sam Drafted by St. Louis Rams

He was drafted near the end of the 7th and final round. The 249th player picked. It's no surprise when a player drafted that late does not make a team. But some late-round draft picks turn out to be good enough to make a squad.

Central Catholic grad Dane Sanzenbacher went undrafted, but he made the Bears team his rookie season. After two years with the Bears, he played last year with the Bengals.

The late-round draft pick who has probably garnered the most attention over the past decade has been Tom Brady who got drafted in the 6th round. Brady was the 199th player selected, and he's headed to the hall of fame.

Two years ago when the Seattle Seahawks drafted quarterback Russell Wilson in the 3rd round, I doubt the team expected Wilson to earn the starting spot because Seattle signed a big contract with QB Matt Flynn from Green Bay through free agency. But Wilson won the starting job in preseason, helped Seattle make the playoffs and win a playoff game, and of course, Seattle won the Super Bowl this past season.

So who knows until they start practicing and playing pre-season games.

I think the math is simple for Michael Sam, regarding the NFL.

1. If he's a good player, he'll make a team.
2. If he's really good, he'll get to play a fair amount.
3. If he's really, really good, he'll get to start.

If he's none of the above, he'll be released.

I don't think an NFL team will waste a roster spot. If he's not NFL caliber, then he'll be scooped off the field with a spatula.

But Sam will get his shot.

"... the knock against him is that he is a bit undersized."

Allegedly, his height and weight are 6' 2" and 250 to 260 pounds. That seems big enough if he's fast, strong, and smart.

Sam Mills played linebacker in the NFL from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, and he was only 5' 9" and around 230 pounds. Even back then, that was considered small for a linebacker.

According to this February 2013 article, the writer claimed that the trend in the NFL was for teams to drafter lighter weight linebackers, weighing under 250 pounds. Because of all the passing in the NFL, teams want linebackers who can keep up.