You can expect to see a lot No. 96 jerseys across the country this NFL season.
That’s the uniform number the St. Louis Rams will give defensive end Michael Sam on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Darren Rovell. The Rams took Sam with the 249th overall pick in the NFL draft to make him the first openly gay player ever to be selected in the draft.
Even before his uniform number was confirmed, orders for Sam’s jersey came pouring in over the weekend, shortly after he was drafted. In a list released by the NFL, Sam’s Rams jersey was the second-most popular among NFL rookies behind Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel.
According to Rovell, Sam is the only Rams draft pick to have his jersey sold in women’s and youth sizes due to popular demand.
The No. 96 jersey was occupied last year by defensive end Mason Brodine, who signed with the Rams in 2012 after going undrafted and signing with the Oakland Raiders in 2011.
Sam wore No. 52 while playing at Missouri, where he won SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors as a senior in 2013. No. 52 is currently worn by Rams linebacker Alec Ogletree, who was the team’s first-round pick in 2013 and played in all 16 games last season.
Photo via Twitter/@darrenrovell
