Christian Sam


Christian Sam is an American football linebacker for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He played college football at Arizona State.

Early years

Sam attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas, a northern suburb of Dallas, where he played opposite of high school quarterback sensation Kyler Murray and led Allen to state championships in 2012 and 2013. He committed to play football for the Arizona State Sun Devils in August 2013, choosing the Sun Devils over schools such as Oklahoma, Baylor and Texas Tech among others.

College career

As a true freshman in 2014, Sam played in all 13 of Arizona State's games, tallying 16 tackles, one interception, one sack, and one pass deflection.
In 2015, as a sophomore, Sam became a full-time starter and once again appeared in all 13 games, posting 97 tackles, one interception, three sacks, two pass deflections, and two forced fumbles.
Sam suffered a season-ending foot injury in Arizona State's first game of the 2016 season. He elected to take a medical redshirt.
As a redshirt junior in 2017, Sam played in 12 games and lead the Sun Devils with 127 tackles. He also tallied one interception, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble. After the season, he declared for the 2018 NFL Draft.

Professional career

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots selected Sam in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. On September 1, 2018, Sam was placed on the team's injured reserve. He was released during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019.

Miami Dolphins

On September 2, 2019, Sam was signed to the Miami Dolphins practice squad. He was released on September 11.

San Francisco 49ers

On November 5, 2019, Sam was signed to the San Francisco 49ers practice squad. He was released on December 10, 2019.

Detroit Lions

On December 17, 2019, Sam was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad. On December 30, 2019, Sam was signed to a reserve/future contract.