I'm late to this thread, but have a few contributions.
Firstly, I evaluate players based on my own film study as well as taking into consideration the evals of folks I respect like Drew and a few others. But mostly, I rely on what I see. I don't pretend to be a pro at this, but I also know a little bit...enough to get some pretty good eval in based on what I see.
As well, I'm a principles guy. It's ALL about the principle for me. So sometimes I come across a bit strident. That's just my enthusiasm talking.
Anyway, here goes.
An update: Christian Bryant and Westbrooks were put on the non-football PUP list. That should make it much easier for Sam to make the team. It doesn't affect my eval, but from a numbers standpoint, it makes the numbers work in Sam's favor if he executes as he should.
So: when I watched Mizzou, I agreed with a few of the evaluators that was more harsh on Kony Ealy than Michael Sam. I felt that Sam was BY FAR the more complete DE with the better motor and better football presence that translated better to the pros. Now, does and did Ealy have better Combine numbers? You bet. And having Sam do the LB drills was a disaster. But what was lost in evaluating Michael Sam was football. I don't care about Jackson Jeffcoat. No SEC DPOY has been taken out of the first round in the past ten years. Even with concerns of Sam's "tweener" label (which desperately needs to go away because with all of the different defenses in the NFL and ways to use talent, there is no "tweener". There are football players and no way you convince me that Dwight Freeney shouldn't play or the next Dwight Freeney shouldn't because they don't fit some prototypical mold) , the idea that he wasn't worthy of that 1st rounder doesn't wash with me based on the evidence that I saw. Is he stiff? Yes, partially. However, he also uses his extraordinary dip and bend to get past OTs. He's also VERY good with his hands, keeping OTs off of him.
Now, based on this deep draft, I could have seem him falling to the 2nd or even 3rd round because I saw there being so many players well into the top of the 3rd who could easily be worth a low 1st rounder. And I felt that the pundit's "rounds 3-5" grade were lowballing him a bit based on his Combine, but typically players see a crawl back up once teams go back to the films. Sam didn't. He fell through the floor from as high as a potential 3 to not getting drafted at all. Same guy based on nothing more than a few drills in underwear. Reminded me of Vontaze Burfict's fall from grace... Tackling machine ILB from ASU who ran a 5.09 40 and went undrafted, signed with Cincy and not only won the starting job, but made the Pro Bowl in 2013, iirc, leading the NFL in tackles with 171. Not bad for a 2nd year player who was supposed to be too slow and too much of a head case to be able to play pro ball.
So, I just don't buy all of this "stuff" about how Sam will be lucky to make this team. I think he will make this team because he's good enough to do it. I think his talent is grossly underestimated by most evaluators and fans, alike. When I look for the details...hand position, how he comes out of his stance, stride, time to the QB... it's all exceptional. When I timed Michael Sam to the QB, if the QB didn't have a chance to take off because Ealy didn't contain, Michael Sam got the QB on average in 2.0 seconds. That's just sick. That includes defeating blockers and NONE of those plays includes free shots at the QB or taking on a TE.
Thus, most of my advocacy is about Michael Sam the football player and I think we got a dang STEAL with a compensatory pick in the 7th round. I expect no one to agree with me and that's fine.
Secondly, I think there's a bigger issue with homophobia in the NFL. It isn't just Chris Kluwe being unemployed. It isn't just Brendan Ayenbadejo being unemployed, both for simply advocating for gay rights. It isn't just Kerry Rhodes getting ousted from the league after being outed when he was one of the top 5 Free Safeties in the league. It's the attitude of coaches like Mike Priefer and Dungy and front offices all across the NFL that would rather let a guy with a 3rd to 5th round grade (and film showing better skills, imho) go undrafted, but WILL take chances on Cassius Marsh out of UCLA without the production in the 4th round, but who's still a "tweener" and who's a headcase to boot.
Lastly, the most important thing is that Michael Sam isn't the first gay player in the NFL. He's the first OPENLY gay player. So, let's just acknowledge that likely a number of teams ALREADY have gay players who are waiting and watching to see how this turns out before they come out. Gay players have been in the NFL since the NFL was the NFL. Vince Lombardi was known for coaching and protecting a gay player and some of the players knew he was gay. I have an inkling that much of this has more to do with corporate sponsorship BS and some Lord of the Flies letting the inmates run the asylum stuff than that the NFL has any feelings about gay players one way or another.
I've said (and it's usually one of my sigs) that Sports are the crucible in which we distill human virtue. The distillate remains are human vice. One of the human virtues of football is that when done right, it's a meritocracy. Being gay shouldn't ever make a difference. One day, a woman will cross that barrier, too. Probably a kicker, but who knows? I know if a woman can kick a 70 yard field goal in windy conditions versus some of the crappy kickers we've had, do we really have to make a scrotum a requirement when winning is the goal? I shouldn't like to think so.
Also, when players were talked to about the realities of playing with a gay player, straight players found out a few things... like a) straight players look at others players genitalia as much if not more than gay players do. Neither do it in a sexual way. b) Players think of team members as family, so gay players aren't attracted to teammates. Uniformly, gay players say it just doesn't occur to them to be attracted to teammates. c) Any concerns they have they can put to rest because by the time a pro player has been in the league a few years, if he's played High School, College and professional football, chances are at some point, he's played with AT LEAST one gay player based on the law of averages. So, he's showered with a gay player, tackled and been tackled by a gay player, etc.
I said after evaluating Michael Sam to a good friend that worst case he should go no later than the 3rd and only because of the depth of this great draft, but that I didn't think he'd be drafted. I think if not for Fisher who's VERY plugged into the NFL, Michael Sam would have gone undrafted. No team after the Rams looked to be remotely prepared to take him or capable of handling the situation. And to Fisher's credit, he and the entire organization have handled the Sam drafting with aplomb.
TL;dr I think we got an absolute steal. I think Michael Sam makes plays in this Gregg Williams D and on special teams. I think his draft stock fell solely because he is gay and not based on his football abilities nor how they project to the professional game. I think the NFL has issues with "the gay" that transcend Michael Sam that have touched multiple players over the last few years and the NFL needs to get clear on principle.
Anyway, that's my take. I realize I'm probably way out on the north end of my own island when it comes to Michael Sam, but it'll be great for everyone when I'm right about him being as good as I've seen him be on film.
