The naming and celebration of Mr. Irrelevant -- the last player selected in the NFL Draft -- is a fun and long-running tradition. This nickname began in 1976 when former USC and NFL player Paul Salata started the annual ritual. The first player ever called Mr. Irrelevant was Kelvin Kirk in the 1976 NFL Draft.
The last player selected in each subsequent NFL Draft is celebrated each year at "Irrelevant Week" in Newport, California. This annual charity event includes the Lowsman Trophy, designed to resemble the Heisman, except that the player is fumbling the football.
In recent years, the team's representative with the final pick announces the selection with a jersey that says Mr. Irrelevant with the number on the back matching the number of picks in the current ideation of the NFL Draft. You can even bet on who will be this year's Mr. Irrelevant on some of the best sports betting sites.
The careers of most players drafted as Mr. Irrelevant don't amount to much of anything. However, there are several recent noteworthy Mr. Irrelevant selections.
Here are our top three:
Brock Purdy, San Fransisco 49ers, 2022
Brock Purdy came into the league already far more noteworthy than many other Mr. Irrelevant selections. He climbed from third-stringer in his freshman year at Iowa State to ultimately start eight games. He kept the job for three more seasons and was a quality college quarterback on a good team in a Power 5 conference, throwing for 12,170 total yards and leading the Cyclones to their first four-year run of consecutive winning seasons in the program's history.
Yet, NFL teams still had little interest. At a shade over six feet tall, with what NFL scouts considered a limited arm and unexceptional athleticism, Purdy was drafted with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
Despite being drafted, Purdy didn't figure into the 49ers' plans. The Niners traded up to select Trey Lance with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 Draft and dubbed him the starter. The team tried and failed to trade veteran QB Jimmy Garoppolo leading up to the 2022 Draft, but ultimately slotted him in as the backup quarterback.
Lance then went down for the season in Week 2, followed by a season-ending foot injury for Garoppolo in Week 13. And, all of a sudden, Purdy became the starter of a loaded team with Super Bowl aspirations.
To the surprise of probably even the 49ers, Purdy thrived as the team's starting QB. The Niners won all five of his regular season starts and then two more in the playoffs. Purdy completed 114-of-170 passes (67.1%) for 1,374 yards and 13 TDs in the regular season. He then went 41-of-63 for 569 yards and three TDs in the postseason.
Unfortunately, his run as Mr. Irrelevant all came crashing down in the NFC Championship Game when Purdy tore his UCL getting hit while making a throw early in that contest. He tried to gut it out, but following a 31-7 loss to Eagles, it was proven that Purdy needed elbow surgery to repair the injury.
His status leading up to the 2023 NFL season is now in question, with the team hoping he's ready for training camp, but what a story and run it was for the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant. Regardless of how Purdy's recovery goes, he has already set the Mr. Irrelevant gold standard as no one with that title had ever thrown a regular season TD pass, much less won a game over Tom Brady or led a team to the brink of the Super Bowl.
Chad Kelly, Denver Broncos, 2017
While Purdy shocked the world, QB Chad Kelly wouldn't have surprised anyone if he found NFL success. The nephew of Hall of Famer Jim Kelly was a huge prospect out of high school, signing first with Clemson and then transferring to Ole Miss. He threw for 4,042 yards and 31 TDs for the Rebels in 2015 and led them to wins over Alabama, Auburn, and LSU along with a Sugar Bowl victory.
Unlike Purdy, Kelly had all the makings of a prototypical NFL QB. He slipped in the draft due to a torn ACL in November of the 2016 season and multiple disciplinary issues. The Denver Broncos tabbed him with the last pick of the 2017 NFL Draft and he spent his first season on IR.
In 2018, he competed and lost the backup quarterback job to Paxton Lynch, and was ultimately cut by the Broncos following his arrest on suspicion of first-degree criminal trespassing. He then got picked up by the Indianapolis Colts, where he spent parts of two seasons before being cut again, ending his NFL career without ever attempting or completing a pass. Mainly what made Kelly a relevant name was his bloodline and untapped potential.
Kelly did resurface in 2022 north of the border, signing with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He served as a backup quarterback, starting only the final regular season game. The Argos made it to the Grey Cup, and with the team trailing 23-17 in the 4th quarter, starting QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson injured his hand. Kelly came in and led the Argonauts to a game-winning touchdown drive to take home the championship.
Ryan Succop, Kansas City Chiefs, 2009
This one could get a bit of an asterisk as many NFL kickers don't get drafted. Ryan Succop, however, stands out as he has had an excellent NFL career after being Mr. Irrelevant of the 2009 NFL Draft.
After being selected by the Kansas City Chiefs out of South Carolina in 2009, Succop won the kicking job and went on to tie a rookie record by hitting 86.2% of his field goals. By 2012, he became the Chiefs' all-time field goal leader. He stuck with the team until he was waived during the Chiefs' final preseason cuts in 2014.
Succop then kicked for the Tennessee Titans from 2014 to 2019. In 2020, Succop moved on to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he set a franchise record with 136 points. He also became the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in and win a Super Bowl in 2021 when the Bucs defeated the Chiefs, 31-9, in Super Bowl LV.
During his 14-year NFL career, Succop has made 320 of his 386 field goal attempts (82.9%) and scored a total of 1,430 points -- the most by any Mr. Irrelevant in NFL history.
