Mr. Irrelevant

Mr. Irrelevant is the nickname given to the person who is drafted with the very last overall pick in the NFL Draft, as a disreputable reference to how the public and teams evaluate their skill level. Most players drafted with the very last draft pick do not go on to complete storied or notable careers. Often times a player chosen with this pick is released from the team that drafted them before preseason or training camps begin. History "Mr. Irrelevant" and "Irrelevant Week" began in 1976 when former USC and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded the event in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final pick of each NFL Draft until 2013; from 2014 his daughter took over in announcing the pick. After each draft, the new Mr. Irrelevant and his family are invited to spend a week during the summer in Newport Beach. A trip to Disneyland, a golf tournament, a regatta, a roast giving advice to the new draftee, and a ceremony awarding him the Lowsman Trophy are included. The trophy mimics the Heisman Trophy 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, with the Steelers winning the pick. The incident led to the "Salata Rule", which prohibits teams from passing to get the final pick. The first Mr. Irrelevant to play in the Super Bowl was Marty Moore, a special teams player drafted last in 1994, who played with the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI.