NFL Draft 2024: 3 potential candidates for Mr. Irrelevant
With the third day of the NFL Draft 2024 already underway and set to end with a new Mr. Irrelevant being picked, the focus has turned from the top picks to players who have been overlooked by the scouts but hope to make it big in the league one day. The GOAT, Tom Brady, came from these lower rounds, and newer talents like Amon-Ra St. Brown were picked on the third day, too.
But there's being taken in the latter rounds and being drafted with the last pick of the draft. Here we look at those players who could potentially be the final selection of the NFL Draft 2024.
Which pick is called Mr Irrelevant in the NFL Draft?
The last pick of the final seventh round in a draft is called Mr. Irrelevant. This year, it is the 257th pick in the draft, owned by the New York Jets. The moniker is given because they were the ones who closed out the draft for the year and were not relevant enough throughout the draft for three days as other players got drafted.
The hoopla around Mr. Irrelevant has increased in recent seasons after Brock Purdy rose through the ranks to become the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers and led them to a Super Bowl appearance. Here is a list of the players that might go with the final pick of NFL Draft 2024.
NFL Draft 2024: Potential Mr Irrelevant candidates
Luckily for us, we have Sportskeeda's Mock Draft Simulator to make the process fun. You can use it just as we did here to see who has a likelihood of finishing at Mr. Irrelevant of NFL Draft 2024 and then compare it with others and make a game out of it. Here are our picks.
#1 - Julian Pearl, OT, Illinois
With the final pick, the Jets select Julian Pearl in the 2024 NFL Draft. New York general manager Joe Douglas and head coach Robert Saleh know that people selected higher up are not necessarily better. Two consecutive first-round picks for quarterback, Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson, have been busts.
With Julian Pearl, they might be getting a hidden gem, who can add depth to the offensive line. Heaven knows they need it as they cannot afford Aaron Rodgers to get injured and miss another season. Their success depends on it.
#2 - Aaron Casey, LB, Indiana
Another possibility is that the Jets could decide to draft a defensive player with the final pick. They have a great defensive front and secondary and much of the focus, rightly so, has been on improving the offense so that they can become Super Bowl contenders.
But they know from experience how depth in the later rounds is important on defense. The Buffalo Bills, for example, found it out the hard way last year in their loss in the Divisional Round to the Kansas City Chiefs where they did not have their best players fit to use on defense against Patrick Mahomes. Getting a linebacker like Aaron Casey at Mr. Irrelevant of the NFL Draft 2024 could help New York avoid a similar situation in the future.
#3 - Taulia Tagovailoa, QB, Maryland
Instead of developing the defense or the offense as the mock drafts show us, the New York Jets could also decide to emulate the San Francisco 49ers. After all, this is a copycat league. They could choose to draft a quarterback and hope he becomes the next Brock Purdy.
After all, as good as Aaron Rodgers is, they need to move on from the future Hall-of-Famer in the coming years and his age catches up with him. While he might be the solution to win now, there needs to be a succession plan. What better way to have a new quarterback sit behind him and learn, just as the veteran learned from Brett Favre when he entered the league with the Green Bay Packers?
Taulia Tagovailoa might be an enticing prospect at this stage. The Maryland quarterback, whose older brother plays in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins, has the potential to be a good player in the future. If he can be mentored by one of the greatest of all times and then eventually succeed him, the Jets will have won now and for the following generation too.