Michael Sam has second-most-popular jersey of NFL draft class

Michael Sam might have been the 249th player chosen in last week’s NFL draft, but his St. Louis Rams jersey is No. 2 in sales among rookie shirts being sold on NFL.com.

The St. Louis Rams picked the Missouri product in the seventh round of the draft Saturday, making Sam the first openly gay player to be drafted in the NFL. The jersey of Johnny Manziel, drafted in the first round by the Cleveland Browns, is the top seller. In fact, his jersey has outsold all NFL veterans since April 1. From Thursday to Saturday, the days of the draft, almost as many Manziel jerseys were sold as Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Tim Tebow jerseys combined on their draft years.

Jadeveon Clowney, taken first overall in the draft by the Houston Texans, has the third-best-selling jersey. Jerseys for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, taken with the 32nd pick in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings, and quarterback Blake Bartles, taken with the third pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, are fourth and fifth, respectively, in sales.

All these purchases were made without official knowledge of what numbers the players will wear. A player’s jersey won’t be shipped to buyers until his team notifies the league of his number.