2014 NFL Draft -- too early for a thread?

[The_Douger]

Do you guys think there's a chance he goes undrafted? I think it might hurt his stock, not because he can't play but because teams won't want to deal with the media circus. At some point the benefit will outweigh the downside.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...m-draft-stock/

How will news that Michael Sam is gay affect his NFL draft stock?

One former NFL general manager described how Sam's future could play out in the draft room. He said when a team is nine slots away from making a pick, there is typically a declaration in the draft room that six players are being considered. When a team is five spots away, that consideration set is whittled to three.

If Sam is among that group of players, the potential distraction of his presence -- both in the media and the locker room -- could prevent him from being selected.

"That will break a tie against that player," the former general manager said. "Every time. Unless he's Superman. Why? Not that they're against gay people. It's more that some players are going to look at you upside down. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the media is going to show up, from Good Housekeeping to the Today show. A general manager is going to ask, 'Why are we going to do that to ourselves?'"

The former general manager said that it would take an NFL franchise with a strong owner, savvy general manager and veteran coach to make drafting Sam work. He rattled off franchises like Pittsburgh, Green Bay, San Francisco, Baltimore and Indianapolis as potential destinations. The former general manager added that a team with a rookie head coach would not be an ideal landing spot.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Do you guys think there's a chance he goes undrafted? I think it might hurt his stock, not because he can't play but because teams won't want to deal with the media circus. At some point the benefit will outweigh the downside.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/col...m-draft-stock/

How will news that Michael Sam is gay affect his NFL draft stock?

One former NFL general manager described how Sam's future could play out in the draft room. He said when a team is nine slots away from making a pick, there is typically a declaration in the draft room that six players are being considered. When a team is five spots away, that consideration set is whittled to three.

If Sam is among that group of players, the potential distraction of his presence -- both in the media and the locker room -- could prevent him from being selected.

"That will break a tie against that player," the former general manager said. "Every time. Unless he's Superman. Why? Not that they're against gay people. It's more that some players are going to look at you upside down. Every Tom, Dick and Harry in the media is going to show up, from Good Housekeeping to the Today show. A general manager is going to ask, 'Why are we going to do that to ourselves?'"

The former general manager said that it would take an NFL franchise with a strong owner, savvy general manager and veteran coach to make drafting Sam work. He rattled off franchises like Pittsburgh, Green Bay, San Francisco, Baltimore and Indianapolis as potential destinations. The former general manager added that a team with a rookie head coach would not be an ideal landing spot.

His size puts him in no-mans land as far as a prospect goes. It's why he was already regarded as a mid-round prospect even though he was the SEC defensive players of the year. That said, however, when you look at a few guys around the league like Elvis Dumervil and James Harrison, then a team should absolutely take a chance on him.

I can see New England taking a chance on him. They need pass rushers and Sam could be versatile player which Belichick loves. He probably wouldn't love the circus, but they also invited Tim Tebow into training camp. If anyone can handle it, it would be Belichick.

[The_Douger]

His size puts him in no-mans land as far as a prospect goes. It's why he was already regarded as a mid-round prospect even though he was the SEC defensive players of the year. That said, however, when you look at a few guys around the league like Elvis Dumervil and James Harrison, then a team should absolutely take a chance on him.

I can see New England taking a chance on him. They need pass rushers and Sam could be versatile player which Belichick loves. He probably wouldn't love the circus, but they also invited Tim Tebow into training camp. If anyone can handle it, it would be Belichick.

Some of those tweener types have managed to carve out a niche for themselves.

I'm sure there's gay guys in the NFL now, but nobody seems to be openly gay in the league currently.

I guess we'll see what happens on draft day. I think he'll drop in to the last day.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

Some of those tweener types have managed to carve out a niche for themselves.

I'm sure there's gay guys in the NFL now, but nobody seems to be openly gay in the league currently.

I guess we'll see what happens on draft day. I think he'll drop in to the last day.

Sam told his Missouri teammates last August and he had his best season. Missouri as a team also played extremely well.

The thing that is the most interesting to me is that Sam isn't some scrub, he's a very, very good player. An all-American and SEC defensive player of the year. While he's not a can't miss prospect, the likelihood was that he was going sometime around the 4th and was probably going to make a roster. He's not Jason Collins whose career was basically over, Sam was entering his senior year of college and then the draft. Sam had much more to lose than Collins, IMO.

[Surfah]

Sam told his Missouri teammates last August and he had his best season. Missouri as a team also played extremely well.

The thing that is the most interesting to me is that Sam isn't some scrub, he's a very, very good player. An all-American and SEC defensive player of the year. While he's not a can't miss prospect, the likelihood was that he was going sometime around the 4th and was probably going to make a roster. He's not Jason Collins whose career was basically over, Sam was entering his senior year of college and then the draft. Sam had much more to lose than Collins, IMO.

Sam is a decent player, but he's overrated. His draft stock was falling even before his coming out. He's got tweener size and his production is questionable. 9 of his 11.5 sacks came against Vanderbilt, Florida and Arkansas State. I think he's a reserve defensive end and special teams player. The kind of player who might be #50 on a roster. As a GM I'd have to pass given the inevitable spectacle that would follow. I'm not sure he's worth that. It'd be like having Tebow on your team. It's unfortunate that it's an issue but it is, fair or not.

[wapiti]

Sam told his Missouri teammates last August and he had his best season. Missouri as a team also played extremely well.

The thing that is the most interesting to me is that Sam isn't some scrub, he's a very, very good player. An all-American and SEC defensive player of the year. While he's not a can't miss prospect, the likelihood was that he was going sometime around the 4th and was probably going to make a roster. He's not Jason Collins whose career was basically over, Sam was entering his senior year of college and then the draft. Sam had much more to lose than Collins, IMO.

Collins had nothing to lose. This is a much bolder move. I think it will play out smoothly. The circus will cause some teams to shy away but other teams will recognize the upside of having their team associated with the historic pick (as long as they believe he's a player).

[Sizzle]

Sam is a decent player, but he's overrated. His draft stock was falling even before his coming out. He's got tweener size and his production is questionable. 9 of his 11.5 sacks came against Vanderbilt, Florida and Arkansas State. I think he's a reserve defensive end and special teams player. The kind of player who might be #50 on a roster. As a GM I'd have to pass given the inevitable spectacle that would follow. I'm not sure he's worth that. It'd be like having Tebow on your team. It's unfortunate that it's an issue but it is, fair or not.

The cynic in me wonders if this isn't part of the reason to come out now. Use it as a platform to show that the NFL is "anti-gay" if he slides in the draft. The other thing, this is definitely going to come up in pre-draft interviews, especially if he came out to his teammates before the season last year. Might as well get out in front of it, ride the wave, hope to land some sort of endorsement deals or be "historic" especially when the likelihood that this was going to come out of the closet one way or another as the draft process intensifies.

The flip side of the coin is guys like Robert Mathis, Cliff Avril, etc. have all been very successful as those types of mid-round "undersized" DE types in the right system. So to totally write him off definitely isn't fair.

[wapiti]

The cynic in me wonders if this isn't part of the reason to come out now. Use it as a platform to show that the NFL is "anti-gay" if he slides in the draft. The other thing, this is definitely going to come up in pre-draft interviews, especially if he came out to his teammates before the season last year. Might as well get out in front of it, ride the wave, hope to land some sort of endorsement deals or be "historic" especially when the likelihood that this was going to come out of the closet one way or another as the draft process intensifies.

The flip side of the coin is guys like Robert Mathis, Cliff Avril, etc. have all been very successful as those types of mid-round "undersized" DE types in the right system. So to totally write him off definitely isn't fair.

Pure speculation on my part but I'm guessing this plan was hatched last summer. The key for him, the team drafts him, and the NFL is that he turns out to be a good player. I don't like the Jackie Robinson comparison because I think what Jackie went through was many times more difficult than this. But what ultimately made it work was Jackie was a great player. Sam can make this easier on everyone if he goes out and plays well. If he fails people will come up with lots of reasons why.

[Surfah]

The cynic in me wonders if this isn't part of the reason to come out now. Use it as a platform to show that the NFL is "anti-gay" if he slides in the draft. The other thing, this is definitely going to come up in pre-draft interviews, especially if he came out to his teammates before the season last year. Might as well get out in front of it, ride the wave, hope to land some sort of endorsement deals or be "historic" especially when the likelihood that this was going to come out of the closet one way or another as the draft process intensifies.

The flip side of the coin is guys like Robert Mathis, Cliff Avril, etc. have all been very successful as those types of mid-round "undersized" DE types in the right system. So to totally write him off definitely isn't fair.

The cynic in me had the same thought. The thing is he could slide and already was sliding just because of his tangibles. How many guys grade out in a middle round but end up not getting drafted? There are a couple dozen every year.

I am not completely writing him off but the tweeners that are able to make it and become players of Mathis' caliber are rare.

[All-American]

So which team steps up to the plate for the chance to be the team that cuts the first openly gay draftee? I imagine nobody particularly wants that status. As a result, anybody that isn't sure they will keep him takes an awful risk if they draft him.

[USUC]

The kid had a rough background. Heartbreaking.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/12..._r=0&referrer=

[Sizzle]

The cynic in me wonders if this isn't part of the reason to come out now. Use it as a platform to show that the NFL is "anti-gay" if he slides in the draft. The other thing, this is definitely going to come up in pre-draft interviews, especially if he came out to his teammates before the season last year. Might as well get out in front of it, ride the wave, hope to land some sort of endorsement deals or be "historic" especially when the likelihood that this was going to come out of the closet one way or another as the draft process intensifies.

The flip side of the coin is guys like Robert Mathis, Cliff Avril, etc. have all been very successful as those types of mid-round "undersized" DE types in the right system. So to totally write him off definitely isn't fair.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/draft2014/sto...ies-coming-out

"Every time I'm on the phone, I'm getting phone calls," Barkett told ESPN.com. "There's always one from a company expressing their interest in Michael. Name any type of industry, we've probably heard from a company in their sector in the last 48 hours."

Most 3rd to 5th round picks are lucky to generate AN endorsement deal, let along multiple ones from large organizations. I'm really trying hard not to be overly cynical, especially since it sounds like the kid has had a rough upbringing. But yeah. Probably very smart on his part.

[SCcoug]

What is the schedule for the combine? We have Hoff, Unga, KVN, Manu and Sorensen participating. I know Unga is rehabbing a knee injury is he just interviewing or is he going to try to bench too?

[LiveCoug]

Hoff runs a 4.54 at the combine. Not bad.

[Donuthole]

Hoff runs a 4.54 at the combine. Not bad.

For someone his size, that's better than not bad. Faster than Larry Fitz, and right there with players like Jordy Nelson, Eric Decker, and Marques Colston, who are all similarly built to Hoffman.