NFL Players Association president Domonique Foxworth has expressed his belief that Missouri Tigers defensive end Michael Sam will "definitely" earn a place in the league in the upcoming Draft.

Sam will become the first openly gay player in NFL history if he is chosen, having publicly come out during a television interview on Sunday.

"I don't know how anyone could concoct a story that could lead you to believe that a team would be worse off for having added Michael Sam," Foxworth told ESPN.

"I've heard and read a lot about how people think it could affect him, and that may be true. That's a risk that he's taking, but I think he'll definitely get in the league. I think it's obviously going to be something different.

"It's something that's never happened before, and I don't want to pretend that it's going to be a non-issue. I think it's going to be a small deal inside the locker room, but kind of a big deal outside the locker room."

Most experts are predicting that Sam, who was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year last season, will be a mid-round pick this May.