NFL Veteran Combine: Michael Sam Continues to Pursue a Football Career

Free agent Michael Sam participated in the inaugural veteran combine for another shot to enter the NFL.

Sam, who was picked by the St. Louis Rams in the 2014 draft, is one of the 105 free agents who made the trip to the Arizona Cardinals' practice facility, where they will all perform position-specific drills in front of scouts from all 32 teams.

"We'd love guys to get signed. I think that would make everybody feel good. Then obviously our teams would feel really good about it. Our players would feel good about it. The future, everybody would feel good about it," Matt Birk, the NFL director of football development and organizer of the combine, said. "There's a couple other things we're providing here. Teams might have 50 of these guys on their board and after watching them work out they might cross 20 of them off. That's not the desired result that I think we'd all like but that's providing a service and value for our clubs."

He added, "I think everyone, if you get one shot you should get two. Because one time you can get buried [on] a depth chart or you can get hurt or just a bad fit or whatever. Get them a second look and then if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But then guys can then move on and say 'OK, I got a fair shake. Got a chance to show my talents and it just wasn't meant to be.'"

If teams see a player they are interested in, that player will be brought in for a visit where he would get a physical. The player will also workout with the team's position coach before reaching the contract stage.

At the combine Sunday, Sam, the first openly gay player to be drafted into the NFL, said he did not talk to any scouts. Sam's fastest 40-yard dash was 5.07, which is much slower than the 4.91 seconds he clocked in at the 2014 NFL scouting combine.

"As long as I still have that will, as long as I'm still healthy and can play this game, you will continue to see me fighting to get in this league," the 25-year-old defensive end said. "I am very confident that I will be playing football this year somewhere. So we'll leave that at that."

Sam stated that he has been working out a lot to get "football ready" and has improved his fundamentals, including his hands and footwork. Although Sam had stints with the Rams and the Cowboys, he never played in a professional game.

When asked if the CFL (Canadian Football League) was an option for him, he stated that he will "play for whoever."

Sam is currently a contestant on the hit ABC show, "Dancing with the Stars."