Who is Mr. Irrelevant? Tracing the history of NFL Draft's last pick
The NFL Draft is full of franchise-changing players (e.g., Joe Burrow) and even league-changing players (e.g., Lamar Jackson). Those players are usually picked in the first round or even the second round of the draft. Some surefire Hall-of-Fame players were selected as late as the sixth round (e.g., Tom Brady with the 199th overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft) or were undrafted altogether (e.g., Tony Romo was an undrafted rookie free agent).
Where does Mr. Irrelevant land in the scope of the NFL Draft?
Any player without high draft capital is known as Mr. Irrelevant, a title given to the final pick of the draft. According to ESPN, the history of this nickname dates as far back as 1976 when former 49ers and Colts wide receiver Paul Salata wanted to create a celebration specifically for the last player selected in an NFL draft, also known as “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Historically, the Salata family and Mr. Irrelevant and his family would spend a week in Southern California, where they would go to Disneyland and play in a golf tournament. And last but not least, the esteemed final pick of the draft receives the Lowsman Trophy. The Lowsman Trophy is a trophy similar to the Heisman Trophy, given to the best collegiate football player of that season. Only the Lowsman Trophy depicts a player fumbling the football.
The Los Angeles Rams have traded for the final pick in the NFL Draft aka “Mr. Irrelevant.” The player will be honored during “Irrelevant Week” this summer in Newport Beach, Calif. and awarded the Lowsman Trophy, which mimics the Heisman but depicts a player fumbling a football. https://t.co/MJXeOhwPXi
It’s certainly good-natured humor, and the last pick of the draft gets their notoriety not otherwise afforded to most (if not all) players selected dead last in a given draft.
Over the last three seasons, the Arizona Cardinals, the New York Giants, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had the honor of selecting Mr. Irrelevants. In 2019, the Cardinals selected tight end Caleb Wilson out of UCLA with the 40th pick in the seventh round. In 2020, the New York Giants selected linebacker Tae Crowder out of Georgia with the 41st pick in the seventh round. And in 2021, the Buccaneers selected linebacker Grant Stuard out of Houston with the 31st pick in the seventh round.
The most successful Mr. Irrelevant of all time
In 2009, the Kansas City Chiefs selected kicker Ryan Succop as the final pick in the NFL Draft. Succop tied an NFL record for the highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a season at 86 percent. He is currently the Tampa Bay Buccanneers’ placekicker. To date, the best Mr. Irrelevant of all time goes to Ryan Succop, who is the first Mr. Irrelevant to play, win, and start in a Super Bowl as an active player.
Ryan Succop > Tom Brady
Given the free trip to Disneyland, a round of golf and an immortal title, most NFL prospects may rather be the last pick of the draft than a higher pick in obscurity.