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 cornerback Kalan Reed, formerly of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles football, who was selected by the Tennessee Titans as pick number 253 of the 2016 draft.
Irrelevant Week
"Irrelevant Week" arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded the event in Newport Beach, California. He continues to announce the final pick of the NFL draft to this day; however, in 2014 his daughter announced the pick in his absence. During the summer after the draft, the new Mr. Irrelevant and his family are invited to spend a week in Newport Beach, California, where they enjoy 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.
"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. The incident led to the "Salata Rule", which prohibits teams from passing to get the final pick.[1]
Notable "winners"
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 significant contributions on the field.
- Special teams player Marty Moore became the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in a Super Bowl, with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.
- Mike Green played a significant role in the Chicago Bears secondary in the 2000s, and played from 2000 to 2008.
- Jim Finn was a fullback for the New York Giants on their victory in Super Bowl XLII. Prior to the 2007 season, Finn was placed on the Injured Reserve, and never played a game for the Giants on their road to the Super Bowl, having been replaced by Madison Hedgecock. Prior to 2007, he had been the Giants fullback for four seasons.
- 2008 winner David Vobora was a starting linebacker for the St. Louis Rams during the 2009 season.
- 2009 winner Ryan Succop became the starting kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs. He went on to tie the NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie in a season with 86.2%, and also passed NFL Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud for most field goals made by a rookie in Chiefs history. Succop was awarded the Mack Lee Hill Award that year.[2] He has been the starting kicker since his rookie season making 81.5% of his field goals and a perfect 100% on extra points. Succop moved on to the Tennessee Titans for the 2014 season.
One "Mr. Irrelevant" (who actually predated the award by nearly a decade) went on to a productive professional career in another sport. 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.[3]
Mr. Irrelevant "winners" and other final selections
Notes
- ^ 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.
- ^ Non-compensatory pick, pick traded from the Denver Broncos to the Tennessee Titans prior to selection.
See also
References
- ^ Merron, Jeff (2005-04-18). "The strangest NFL draft moments". ESPN. Retrieved 18 December 2014.
- ^ http://kcchiefs.com/news/2010/01/05/rb_jamaal_charles_voted_derrick_thomas_award_winner_k_ryan_succop_wins_mack_lee_hill_award/%7CSuccop Wins Mack Lee Hill Award
- ^ May, Peter (2007-07-03). "Providence hoops legend Jimmy Walker dies at 63". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-08-08.
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