Ranking the 3 best Mr. Irrelevants of all-time
The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone. 262 men have realized their professional football dream and had it announced for the world to see. While the NFL's annual pro-to-college transition period produces a random number of selections each year, there is always going to be a Mr. Irrelevant.
That, of course, is a term meant to describe the very last pick in the NFL Draft. It's a sort of hazing-like term to describe the final person to have his name called. The label does not guarantee irrelevancy by any stretch. Remember, dozens of undrafted free agents prove that scouting isn't always correct year in and year out.
Today, the most relevant of the Mr. Irrelevants will be honored for the careers they went on to have, despite hearing 200+ peers find their next home before they did.
Here are the three best Mr. Irrelevants of all-time, ranked:
#3 - LB David Vobora
David Vobora had just one season of anything resembling owning a full-time starter during his four-year NFL career. He does, however, own the distinction of being the first Mr. Irrelevant to play an NFL game during a rookie season for 14 years at the time of playing.
Vobora saw modest success in his three years as a St. Louis Ram. The Rams have since moved to play in Los Angeles. He had largely faded away by the time he signed with the Seattle Seahawks in the summer of 2011. He lasted two weeks before being waived and was used as a kickoff body in six games before his NFL career ended.
Vobora truly embodies the idea of clawing your way into irrelevancy, having come from Idaho of the WAC. There was not much college football relevancy at that point, so just getting drafted is a success. Breaking down a barrier like he did in 2008 was a major feather in the cap no matter how things went in the ensuing years.
#2 - LB Tae Crowder, 2020
Selected last in the 2020 NFL Draft, one held remotely over Zoom due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Georgia's Tae Crowder discovered he'd be making the move north from his native south up to the 'Big Apple'.
Crowder has made the most of his opportunity with the New York Giants. This past season, he earned a full-time starter role, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to start 17 games in a season.
In the process, he collected 130 combined tackles, with 64 of them being unassisted. The former Bulldog has acclimated well to the league and is a recent success story from the last pick in the draft.
#1 - K Ryan Succop, 2009
In consecutive years, Mr. Irrelevant turned out to be anything but. Although David Vobora may have the achievement of finding the field as a rookie, Ryan Succop has become far more significant in his career.
As the kicker on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' special teams in 2020, Succop got to ride Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay defense's coattails to a Super Bowl LV victory. Perhaps that's harsh considering his 4/4 extra points and his ability to convert field goal attempts. Being responsible for seven points in a Super Bowl puts you in lore as a special figure.
But more importantly for Succop, by playing in (and helping win) the game at all, he became the first Mr. Irrelevant to have a share in the Vince Lombardi Trophy, and even take part in the cultural phenomenon that is the Super Bowl at all.
This year's Mr. Irrelevant was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers as they selected quarterback Brock Purdy. It remains to be seen how his career will unfold.