Mr. Irrelevant in the NFL Draft explained

It's the nickname no player in the NFL Draft wants to inherit.

With thousands of collegiate players vying for a contract with just 32 NFL franchises, to be picked in the Draft is an incredible achievement - except nobody really wants to be picked last.

The 'Mr. Irrelevant' moniker is given to the player selected as the last pick in the NFL Draft.

Very rarely does the last pick of the Draft go on to enjoy a successful career in the NFL, but there have been exceptions to the norm with some players brushing off the Mr. Irrelevant tag and making themselves, well, relevant.

Mr. Irrelevant origins

While the Draft dates back to the 1930s, the Mr. Irrelevant nicknamed originated in 1976 courtesy of former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Paul Salata.

He founded “Irrelevant Week” with the intention of putting the spotlight on players who, like himself, had enjoyed relatively irrelevant careers.

After each Draft from 1976, the new Mr. Irrelevant would be invited to spend a week during the summer in Newport Beach, California with his family. Part of the week included a trip to Disneyland, a golf tournament and the presentation of the “Lowsman” trophy, a mimic of the Heisman Trophy awarded to the best college player.

Notable Mr. Irrelevant selections

Brock Purdy

Arguably the most successful of the Mr. Irrelevant crop, Brock Purdy was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 262nd pick of the 2022 Draft.

The third-choice quarterback was awarded a starting slot after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garrapolo, and Purdy led the 49ers to five victories to extend their winning streak to 10 matches.

Purdy subsequently became the first Mr. Irrelevant quarterback to start and win in a playoff game, and he finished his debut season being named offensive rookie of the year.

It got even better a year later as he marshalled the 49ers offence to a Super Bowl, although it did end in agonising defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The next season saw Purdy feature in the Pro Bowl before signing a $265 million contract extension in 2025.

Ryan Succop

Mr. Irrelevant of the 2009 Draft, Ryan Succop became starting kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs and tied the NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a rookie in his first season.

Succop moved to the Tennessee Titans in 2013 before joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, where he was the starting kicker as Tampa Bay triumphed in Super Bowl LV.

Marty Moore

The final pick of the 1994 Draft, Marty Moore was the first Mr. Irrelevant ever to play in a Super Bowl as he featured in Super Bowl XXXI for the New England Patriots.

He featured in the showpiece again five years later, this time on the winning side.

Every Mr. Irrelevant selection

Year	Name	Team
1936	Phil Flanagan	New York Giants
1937	Solon Holt	Cleveland Rams
1938	Ferd Dreher	Chicago Bears
1939	Jack Rhodes	New York Giants
1940	Myron Claxton	New York Giants
1941	Mort Landsberg	Pittsburgh Steelers
1942	Stu Clarkson	Chicago Bears
1943	Bo Bogovich	Washington Redskins
1944	Walton Roberts	Boston Yanks
1945	Billy Joe Aldridge	Green bay Packers
1946	John West	Los Angeles Rams
1947	Don Clayton	New York Giants
1948	Bill Fischer	Chicago Cardinals
1949	John Schweder	Philadelphia Eagles
1950	Dud Parker	Philadelphia Eagles
1951	Sisto Averno	Cleveland Browns
1952	John Saban	Cleveland Browns
1953	Hal Maus	Detroit Lions
1954	Ellis Horton	Detroit Lions
1955	Lamar Leachman	Cleveland Browns
1956	Bob Bartholomew	Cleveland Browns
1957	Don Gest	New York Giants
1958	Tommy Bronson	Detroit Lions
1959	Blair Weese	Indianapolis Colts
1960	Bill Gorman	New York Giants
1961	Jacque MacKinnon	Philadelphia Eagles
1962	Mike Snodgrass	Green Bay Packers
1963	Bobby Brezina	Green Bay Packers
1964	Dick Niglio	Chicago Bears
1965	George Haffner	Indianapolis Colts
1966	Tom Carr	Indianapolis Colts
1967	Jimmy Walker	New Orleans Saints
1968	Jimmy Smith	Cincinnati Bengals
1969	Fred Zirkle	New York Jets
1970	Rayford Jenkins	Kansas City Chiefs
1971	Charles Hill	Oakland Raiders
1972	Alphonso Cain	Dallas Cowboys
1973	Charlie Wade	Miami Dolphins
1974	Ken Dickerson	Miami Dolphins
1975	Stan Hegener	Pittsburgh Steelers
1976	Kelvin Kirk	Pittsburgh Steelers
1977	Jim Kelleher	Minnesota Vikings
1978	Lee Washburn	Dallas Cowboys
1979	Mike Almond	Pittsbugh Steelers
1980	Tyrone McGriff	Pittsburgh Steelers
1981	Phil Nelson	Oakland Raiders
1982	Tim Washington	San Francisco 49ers
1983	John Tuggle	New York Giants
1984	Randy Essington	Oakland Raiders
1985	Donald Chumley	San Francisco 49ers
1986	Mike Travis	San Diego Chargers
1987	Norman Jefferson	Green Bay Packers
1988	Jeff Beathard	Los Angeles Rams
1989	Everett Ross	Minnesota Vikings
1990	Demetrius Davis	Oakland Raiders
1991	Larry Wanke	New York Giants
1992	Matt Elliott	Washington Redskins
1993	Daron Alcorn	Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1994	Marty Moore	New England Patriots
1995	Michael Reed	Carolina Panthers
1996	Sam Manuel	San Francisco 49ers
1997	Ronnie McAda	Green Bay Packers
1998	Cam Quayle	Baltimore Ravens
1999	Jim Finn	Chicago Bears
2000	Michael Green	Chicago Bears
2001	Tevita Ofahengaue	Arizona Cardinals
2002	Ahmad Miller	Houston Texans
2003	Ryan Hoag	Oakland Raiders
2004	Andre Sommersell	Oakland Raiders
2005	Andy Stokes	New England Patriots
2006	Kevin McMahan	Oakland Raiders
2007	Ramzee Robinson	Detroit Lions
2008	David Vobora	St. Louis Rams
2009	Ryan Succop	Kansas City Chiefs
2010	Tim Toone	Detroit Lions
2011	Cheta Ozougwu	Houston Texans
2012	Chandler Harnish	Indianapolis Colts
2013	Justice Cunningham	Indianapolis Colts
2014	Lonnie Ballentine	Houston Texans
2015	Gerald Christian	Arizona Cardinals
2016	Kalan Reed	Tennessee Titans
2017	Chad Kelly	Denver Broncos
2018	Trey Quinn	Washington Redskins
2019	Caleb Wilson	Arizona Cardinals
2020	Tae Crowder	New York Giants
2021	Grant Stuard	Tampa Buccaneers
2022	Brock Purdy	San Francisco 49ers
2023	Desjuan Johnson	Los Angeles Rams
2024	Jaylen Key	New York Jets
2025	Kobee Minor	New England Patriots