As impressive as Missouri defensive end Michael Sam was in interviews at the Scouting Combine, it didn’t go so well for him on the field.
But he apparently recovered today at Missouri’s pro day.
According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, two stopwatches had Sam run his first 40-yard dash in 4.69 and 4.70 seconds.
That’s an improvement over the 4.79 and 4.84 he put up at the Combine, and could help boost his stock in the eyes of skeptical evaluators.
According to other reports from Missouri, Sam appeared to have come up with a hamstring pull, which kept him from making a second attempt at the 40-yard dash.
The time he posted Thursday seems more in line with his production at Missouri, after an 11.5-sack senior season which saw him win SEC co-defensive player of the year. More attention has been paid to the fact he’ll be the first openly gay player in the NFL upon being drafted.