Sam improves, Ealy shines during pro day
COLUMBIA, MO. For a moment, Michael Sam was alone.
The former Missouri defensive end and NFL draft hopeful had finished his positional drills and taken a seat on one of the sets of makeshift bleachers that dotted the sidelines at Devine Pavilion during Missouri’s pro day Thursday.
Sam wanted a second to unwind. That’s about all he got.
NFL Network reporter Albert Breer asked Sam for an on-camera interview, which he declined. Sam has not granted interview requests since he announced he’s gay via ESPN and The New York Times on Feb. 9.
As Breer found defensive end Kony Ealy, a cameraman and boom-mic operator remained and soon were joined by another pair holding a camera and microphone, trying to pick up impromptu audio from the man hoping to become the first openly gay player in the NFL.
“We’ve been trying to keep that all away from him,” said Joe Barkett, one of Sam’s agents. “Not doing interviews and not speaking to the media, it’s helped out a lot, because I think if the media had their way with him, he’d be pulled in every which direction.”
Representatives from all 32 teams made their way to Columbia to see a cross-section of former Missouri players who are eligible for the draft.
After an underwhelming showing at the NFL scouting combine, Sam on Thursday had a chance to prove he’s a better prospect than his widely held late-round projection.
Sam, 6-2 and 263 pounds, shaved nearly two-tenths of a second off his 40-yard time from the combine, running an unofficial 4.72 seconds that included a stumble out of the blocks.
That sprint also resulted in a hamstring tweak that kept him out of the three-cone and shuttle drills and the broad jump.
Sam returned to post a 30-inch vertical jump, an improvement of 4.5 inches from his combine mark, and did 19 bench-press reps at 225 pounds, a two-rep improvement.
Ealy, who could become Missouri’s sixth first-round draft pick in six years, also improved on his scouting combine performances.
The 6-4, 265-pound end bettered his vertical jump (32 inches from 31) and broad jump (120 inches from 114).
Ealy also blew away his 40 time with an unofficial 4.57 that if accurate shows rare speed for a lineman and a vast improvement over his 4.92 from the scouting combine.