How the NFL Draft's “Mr. Irrelevant” nickname came to be
Once a tongue-in-cheek nickname for the NFL Draft's final pick, “Mr. Irrelevant” has evolved into a beloved underdog tradition—with Disneyland trips, a spoof trophy, and even a future 49ers QB. Here’s how it all started.
Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft kicks off in Green Bay tonight. Which means a new Mr. Irrelevant—potentially the most-beloved underdog in all of sports—will soon be crowned.
Since its introduction, the moniker, given to the last player taken in the draft each year, has ironically grown to become very relevant. The fanfare surrounding the pick has sparked an official rule to prevent teams choosing second-to-last from passing on their pick, and even spawned a beer named after it.
It all started…with Paul Salata, a former USC and NFL wide receiver, who in 1976 secured approval from then-commissioner Pete Rozelle for the concept.
Salata, a 10th-round pick in the 1949 NFL Draft, liked the idea of celebrating the underdog—the idea wasn’t designed as a cutting Kill Tony-style roast, but meant to be endearing. "It's irrelevant that you're drafted last," Salata would say, according to ESPN’s Ryan Hockensmith. "I want to show that the last guy is special, too."
- Following the draft each year, Mr. Irrelevant and guests are invited to Newport Beach, California, for Irrelevant Week.
- Staple activities include a trip to Disneyland, a day-long restaurant/bar crawl, a contest against the world's fastest beer chugger, and a banquet where the Lowsman Trophy, a spoof of the Heisman Trophy that portrays a player fumbling the ball, is awarded.
One anecdote: Kelvin Kirk, the OG Mr. Irrelevant, missed his flight from Ohio to California for Irrelevant Week. Salata, who had pitched a group of local reporters and cameramen on covering the event’s first-ever festivities and didn’t like the idea of leaving them hanging, instructed his daughter to find a Kelvin Kirk-lookalike and pass him off as Mr. Irrelevant until the real Kirk arrived. It worked.
Irrelevant relevance has never been higher
On average, the last pick in the NFL draft plays 11 regular-season games in his career, or less than a full regular season. And between 1994-2008, Mr. Irrelevants consistently churned out lower Weighted Career Approximate Values when compared to other seventh-round picks, per ESPN.
But…The past four Mr. Irrelevants, which include 49ers QB Brock Purdy, have so far posted a total Approximate Value (AV) of 44. The 15 Mr. Irrelevants from 1994-2008 had a total AV of 48.
Zoom out: In preparation for Round 1, check out an NFL insider’s mock draft, see the latest player rankings/team needs, or put on your Kevin Costner Draft Day-GM hat and use this free simulator to make picks yourself.
