ST. LOUIS (AP) - The other 11 players the St. Louis Rams picked got immediately overshadowed at the end of the NFL draft. On the 249th pick, Michael Sam became a Ram.
Coach Jeff Fisher and middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said in the offseason that they’d have no problem having Sam, the former Missouri star and the first openly gay football player, on the team.
The Rams (7-9) backed it up Saturday, a day they had seven picks to spend. They had the luxury of taking a flyer on the all-SEC defensive end, considered a tweener by NFL talent evaluators.
St. Louis also took one of Sam’s teammates, cornerback E.J. Gaines, in the sixth round. They also took Utah State safety Maurice Alexander, SMU quarterback Garrett Gilbert, Portland State offensive lineman Mitchell Van Dyk, Ohio State safety Christian Bryant and Tennessee State center Demetrius Rhaney.
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