What is Mr. Irrelevant? Name & Player History ahead of 2023 NFL Draft
As we inch closer to the 2023 NFL Draft, there are going to be a lot of things about the draft that some football fans might not be familiar with. The draft kicks off on April 27th and wraps up on April 29th and when the curtain falls on the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, it'll be because the next Mr. Irrelevant has been crowned.
Just who is Mr. Irrelevant, a draft casual might ask. That's what we're about to dive into.
Who or what is Mr. Irrelevant in the NFL Draft?
There are seven rounds in the NFL Draft and the very last pick in the draft is crowned that year's Mr. Irrelevant. The name is a spin off the prospect being the last player picked and therefore being deemed "irrelevant".
The irony is that last year's Mr. Irrelevant was Brock Purdy, who, as we know, did not end up being irrelevant for the 49ers. Purdy took over for an injured Trey Lance and also an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and led the Niners to the NFC Championship Game. The 49ers might have found their long-term quarterback with the final pick of the draft. Sounds pretty relevant to me!
Here are the past five players to be crowned Mr. Irrelevant.
2022 - Brock Purdy
I talked about Purdy a little bit above and he was far from irrelevant. The Iowa State product went on to appear in nine regular season games and throw for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns, and four interceptions during that time. He was injured in the NFC title game, which is too bad because otherwise, he might have been named the Niners starting signal-caller in 2023.
2021 - Grant Stuard
The Buccaneers drafted Stuard, a linebacker out of Houston, with the final pick of the 2021 NFL Draft and he went on to appear in all 17 games for them in 2021. He spent the 2022 season with the Colts and played in 15 games. He's mostly been used as a special teams contributor but the fact that he's played in 32 games is pretty good for being the final pick of the draft.
2020 - Tae Crowder
Crowder went to the Giants with the final pick of the 2020 NFL Draft and has appeared in 41 games while making 31 starts, including starting all 17 games during the 2021 season. During that season, Crowder had over 100 tackles but the Giants waived him this past season. Pittsburgh scooped up the former Georgia Bulldog though so we'll see if he continues to avoid being irrelevant.
2019 - Caleb Wilson
The Cardinals spent the final pick of the 2019 NFL Draft on the UCLA tight end. He appeared in five games for the Eagles in 2020 but has not done anything in the league since then.
2018 - Trey Quinn
The SMU wide receiver was snagged by Washington with the last pick of the 2018 NFL Draft and he appeared in 15 games for them before relocating to Jacksonville in 2020. He was briefly with the Broncos during the 2022 offseason but has not been on an NFL roster since then.