Mr. Irrelevant

Mr. Irrelevant is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft. Although the NFL Draft dates back to 1936, the first person to officially be given the "Mr. Irrelevant" title was Kelvin Kirk, pick number 487 of the 1976 draft. The current Mr. Irrelevant is Tae Crowder, former linebacker for the Georgia Bulldogs, who was picked 255th by the New York Giants in the 2020 draft.

Jim Finn, Mr. Irrelevant of the 1999 NFL Draft, and Super Bowl XLII champion

History

"Mr. Irrelevant" and "Irrelevant Week" arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded the event in Newport Beach, California. He continued to announce the final pick of the NFL draft until 2013; from 2014 his daughter took over in announcing the pick. During the summer after the draft, the new Mr. Irrelevant and his family are invited to spend a week in Newport Beach where they enjoy a trip to Disneyland, a golf tournament, a regatta, a roast giving advice to the new draftee, and a ceremony awarding him the Lowsman Trophy. The trophy mimics the Heisman, but depicts a player fumbling a football.[1]

"Irrelevant Week" gave so much publicity to "Mr. Irrelevant" that in 1979 the Los Angeles Rams, with the penultimate pick, intentionally passed to let the Pittsburgh Steelers, with the last pick, choose first. The Steelers also wanted the publicity and passed as well. The two teams continued to refuse to choose a player until NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle forced the teams to pick, with the Steelers winning the pick. The incident led to the "Salata Rule", which prohibits teams from passing to get the final pick.[2]

Notable selections

Since the NFL draft was cut to its current seven-round format in 1994, players presented with this dubious honor have more often succeeded in making the team that drafted them, with some making significant contributions on the field.

Mr. Irrelevant selections

Year Round Pick Player Name Team Position College
19761728487 Kelvin Kirk SteelersWRDayton
19771227335 Jim Kelleher VikingsRBColorado
19781228334 Lee Washburn CowboysGMontana State
19791227330 Mike Almond SteelersWRNorthwestern State
19801228333 Tyrone McGriff SteelersGFlorida A&M
19811228332 Phil Nelson RaidersTEDelaware
19821228334 Tim Washington 49ersDBFresno State
19831228335 John Tuggle Giants[lower-alpha 1]RBCalifornia
19841228336 Randy Essington RaidersQBColorado
19851228336 Donald Chumley 49ersDTGeorgia
19861228333 Mike Travis ChargersDBGeorgia Tech
19871228335 Norman Jefferson Packers[lower-alpha 2]DBLSU
19881228333 Jeff Beathard Rams[lower-alpha 3]WRSouthern Oregon
19891228335 Everett Ross Vikings[lower-alpha 4]WROhio State
19901227331 Demetrius Davis Raiders[lower-alpha 5]TENevada
19911228334 Larry Wanke GiantsQBJohn Carroll
19921228336 Matt Elliott RedskinsCMichigan
1993828224 Daron Alcorn Buccaneers[lower-alpha 6]KAkron
1994728222 Marty Moore Patriots[lower-alpha 7]LBKentucky
1995741249 Michael Reed PanthersDBBoston College
1996745254 Sam Manuel 49ersLBNew Mexico State
1997739240 Ronnie McAda PackersQBArmy
1998752241 Cam Quayle RavensTEWeber State
1999747253 Jim Finn Bears[lower-alpha 8]RBPennsylvania
2000748254 Michael Green Bears[lower-alpha 9]DBNorthwestern State
2001746246 Tevita Ofahengaue CardinalsTEBYU
2002750261 Ahmad Miller TexansDTUNLV
2003748262 Ryan Hoag Raiders[lower-alpha 10]WRGustavus Adolphus
2004754255 Andre Sommersell RaidersLBColorado State
2005741255 Andy Stokes PatriotsTEWilliam Penn
2006747255 Kevin McMahan RaidersWRMaine
2007745255 Ramzee Robinson LionsCBAlabama
2008745252 David Vobora RamsOLBIdaho
2009747256 Ryan Succop ChiefsKSouth Carolina
2010748255 Tim Toone LionsWRWeber State
2011753254 Cheta Ozougwu TexansDERice
2012746253 Chandler Harnish ColtsQBNorthern Illinois
2013748254 Justice Cunningham ColtsTESouth Carolina
2014741256 Lonnie Ballentine TexansSMemphis
2015739256 Gerald Christian CardinalsTELouisville
2016732253 Kalan Reed Titans[lower-alpha 11]CBSouthern Miss
2017735253 Chad Kelly BroncosQBOle Miss
2018738256 Trey Quinn Redskins[lower-alpha 12]WRSMU
2019740254 Caleb Wilson CardinalsTEUCLA
2020741255 Tae Crowder GiantsLBGeorgia
20217257 TBA TBD

Pre–Mr. Irrelevant final selections

Prior to the establishment of Mr. Irrelevant, Jimmy Walker was the final pick in 1967 despite never having played college football. His main sport, however, was basketball, in which he was a consensus All-American and the nation's leading scorer as a senior at Providence College. Walker was the first pick in the 1967 NBA Draft, and opted for a career in the NBA.[10]

The last player chosen in the 1961 NFL Draft, Jacque MacKinnon, had a successful 10-season career. However he signed with the San Diego Chargers of the rival American Football League instead of with the Philadelphia Eagles. He appeared in two AFL All-Star Games in 1966 and 1968. He was one of only two Mr. Irrelevants to appear in a Pro Bowl or the equivalent.

The first Mr. Irrelevant to make the Pro Bowl was Bill Fischer, who was the last pick in the 1948 NFL Draft. He was drafted by the Chicago Cardinals after his junior season at Notre Dame. He opted to stay in school, and won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman in 1948. The Cardinals drafted him again in 1949, this time with their first round pick. Fischer made three Pro Bowls in five seasons before retiring at the age of the age of 26 to take an assistant coaching job at Notre Dame.

Year Round Pick Player Name Team Position College
19369981 Phil Flanagan GiantsGHoly Cross
19371010100 Solon Holt RamsGTCU
19381210110 Ferd Dreher BearsEDenver
1939225200 Jack Rhodes GiantsGTexas
1940225200 Myron Claxton GiantsTWhittier
1941222204 Mort Landsberg SteelersBCornell
1942225200 Stu Clarkson BearsCTexas A&M–Kingsville Javelinas
1943325300 Bo Bogovich RedskinsGDelaware
1944326330 Walton Roberts YanksBTexas
1945326330 Billy Joe Aldridge PackersBOklahoma A&M
1946325300 John West RamsBOklahoma
1947327300 Don Clayton GiantsBNorth Carolina
1948327300 Bill Fischer CardinalsGNotre Dame
19492510251 John (Bull) Schweder EaglesGPennsylvania
19503013391 Dud Parker EaglesBBaylor
19513011362 Sisto Averno BrownsGMuhlenberg
19523011360 John Saban BrownsBXavier
19533011360 Hal Maus LionsEMontana
19543011360 Ellis Horton LionsBEureka (IL)
19553011360 Lamar Leachman BrownsCTennessee
19563011360 Bob Bartholomew BrownsTWake Forest
19573011360 Don Gest GiantsEWashington State
19583011360 Tommy Bronson LionsBTennessee
19593012360 Blair Weese ColtsBWest Virginia Tech
19602012240 Bill Gorman GiantsTMcMurry
19612014280 Jacque MacKinnon EaglesBColgate
19622014280 Mike Snodgrass PackersCWestern Michigan
19632014280 Bobby Brezina PackersBHouston
19642014280 Dick Niglio BearsRBYale
19652014280 George Haffner ColtsQBMcNeese State
19662015305 Tom Carr ColtsTMorgan State
19671726445 Jimmy Walker SaintsWRProvidence
19681727462 Jimmy Smith BengalsTEJackson State
19691726442 Fred Zirkie JetsDTDuke
19701726442 Rayford Jenkins ChiefsDBAlcorn A&M
1971[lower-alpha 13]1726442 Charles Hill RaidersWRSam Houston State
19721726442 Alphonso Cain CowboysDTBethune-Cookman
19731726442 Charles Wade DolphinsWRTennessee State
19741726442 Ken Dickerson DolphinsDBTuskegee
19751726442 Stan Hegener SteelersGNebraska

See also

Explanatory notes

  1. Pick traded from the Washington Redskins to the New York Giants prior to selection.
  2. Pick traded from the New York Giants to the Green Bay Packers prior to selection.
  3. Pick traded from the Washington Redskins to the Los Angeles Rams prior to selection.
  4. Pick traded from the San Francisco 49ers through the Los Angeles Raiders to the Minnesota Vikings prior to selection.
  5. Pick traded from the San Francisco 49ers to the Los Angeles Raiders prior to selection.
  6. Pick traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers prior to selection.
  7. Pick traded from the Dallas Cowboys to the New England Patriots prior to selection.
  8. Supplemental pick awarded to the reactivated Cleveland Browns, traded from the Browns to the Chicago Bears prior to selection.
  9. Supplemental pick awarded to the reactivated Cleveland Browns, traded from the Browns to the Chicago Bears prior to selection.
  10. Supplemental pick awarded to the expansion Houston Texans, traded from the Texans to the Oakland Raiders prior to selection.
  11. Pick traded from the Denver Broncos to the Tennessee Titans prior to selection. This was a non-compensatory pick.
  12. Compensatory pick traded from the Atlanta Falcons to the Washington Redskins prior to selection; from 2017 onwards, compensatory picks may be traded.
  13. Although some contemporary sources list Don Nottingham, who had a seven-year career in the NFL, as the last pick of this draft, the Oakland Raiders passed when their time came to pick in the last round and wound up choosing last.

Citations

  1. "Irrelevant Week is pretty, well, relevant". Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  2. Merron, Jeff (April 18, 2005). "The strangest NFL draft moments". ESPN. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
  3. "'Mr. Irrelevant' Marty Moore a Major Success Story for Patriots". March 10, 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  4. "NFL Draft 2013: Top 5 most relevant Mr. Irrelevant selections of all time". Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  5. "20 NFL draft Mr. Irrelevants who worked their way to (some sort of) relevance". April 29, 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved January 5, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Wesseling, Chris (May 1, 2018). "John Elway: Broncos not giving up on Paxton Lynch". nfl.com. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  8. "Roundup: Colts sign former Broncos QB Chad Kelly". NFL.com. Retrieved June 4, 2019.
  9. "Crowder's TD, 2-point conversion stop give Giants 1st win". Newsday. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  10. May, Peter (July 3, 2007). "Providence hoops legend Jimmy Walker dies at 63". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 8, 2007.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.