Michael Sam waited, and waited, and then started to wonder.

Considering the paranoid culture permeating NFL front offices, where corporate-minded executives made anonymous comments about how Sam would be a distraction, it was, sadly, not too surprising to see the talented SEC Defensive Player of the Year drop to the seventh round of the NFL Draft. The St. Louis Rams finally grabbed the former Missouri All-American with the 249th overall pick.

Granted, one could argue that Sam's draft stock fell as a result of his poor performance in the NFL combine. Others could say that there is too much uncertainty about Sam's true position on the field. Perhaps his size or speed is also a significant factor in this. But all of this sounds a bit strange when we look back and realize that only one other SEC defensive player of the year had ever dropped below the second round. It also sounds a bit strange considering that Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who deserves credit for being so eager to participate in the NFL's inclusivity program earlier this year, admitted that his team "actually had [Sam] higher on our draft board, but he fell."

All things considered, the most intriguing part of all was how we saw the narrative twist and turn endlessly until the word "overrated" just took off. Prior to the draft, the discourse surrounding Sam's NFL draft chances was full of polarized, premature conclusions. Instead of painting the more realistic picture of Sam being a worthy draft prospect, some fans, reporters, so-called experts, and anonymous general managers were grumbling left and right.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal writer Bob McGinn went as far as saying that we weren't hearing as much about Sam as of late because "this is the time for real players."

One anonymous general manager told Sports Illustrated that the "reality is [Sam] is an overrated football player in our estimation," a statement that is incredibly easy for anyone to say from an anonymous standpoint - maybe even too easy.

AJ McCarron of The Jagshack wrote an article about Sam back in March and missed the boat entirely, saying, "Just in case you needed another update on Michael Sam, yes, he is still gay and he is being overrated. It's a shame that the media has given Sam so much attention considering it revolves around his sexuality rather than his level of play."

But just how exactly is Sam overrated? Is it because his talent level might not match his popularity level? Did people think that his rating automatically went over the top once he came out? He wasn't getting called overrated before he came out publicly.

Outsports co-founder Cyd Zeigler dismissed the overrated talk during a radio interview earlier this year.

"I just don't buy this nonsense about being an overrated player," he said on 106.7 The Fan. "He's the SEC all-defensive MVP and a unanimous All-American. This is just nonsense chatter from the media and from anonymous sources."

The reality is that Sam became popular because he was a legitimate prospect who also had a very good chance at making history by becoming the first openly gay male player to be drafted in one of the main American professional sports. Just because he is popular does not mean the world should raise the bar on expectations for his success on the field.

On the other hand, claims that Sam's popularity is only a result of his sexual orientation are also greatly misplaced. One person on Twitter said on Monday that Sam was "in the 7th round because he is gay!" Another person made a similar tweet, saying "I would not draft michael Sam, he is honestly so overrated, wouldn't have been drafted if he didnt come out."

Sam would not be so popular if he did not have enough talent to be taken seriously as an NFL prospect. Plenty of non-professional athletes came out over the years but their stories were never as popular because they were not under the NFL spotlight.

As Sam embarks on the next chapter of his football career, the seventh-round pick can finally let out a sigh of relief. The critics who projected that Sam would go undrafted have already crawled into a corner in silence. Will the critics who called Sam overrated do the same?

We'll find out if, and when, Sam steps on an NFL field for the first time.

Until then, there is no reason for anyone to call him overrated.

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