NFL's 'Mr. Irrelevant' To Get Week-Long Celebration and Bizarre Trophy
We all know of the honor and prestige that comes with being the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft. But there are also accolades that stem from being picked at the opposite end of the spectrum.
One honor is jokingly called Mr. Irrelevant, which comes with being the last person picked in the draft.
In a rarity, the same team, the Arizona Cardinals, got both the first and last picks in the 2019 NFL Draft.
With the first pick, they took Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray; with the 254th and final selection, they picked UCLA tight end Caleb Wilson.
Say hello to Mr. Irrelevant.
UCLA TE Wilson is this year’s Mr. Irrelevant https://t.co/VAs8sPtRZX pic.twitter.com/FpOaYzYq4c
— Reuters Top News (@Reuters) April 28, 2019
“It got a little scary at the end, but once that Arizona number popped up on my phone, I was definitely relieved,” Wilson told ESPN. “It got a little shaky at the end going last pick.”
His rewards went beyond getting picked in the NFL Draft; there are perks that go along with being Mr. Irrelevant.
Something called Irrelevant Week has been created to honor that final choice in the draft. The event was created by former NFL Player Paul Salata, 92, who played for the Colts and 49ers in 1949-50.
“We established Irrelevant Week to drive home an important message — that it’s not a negative to be picked last in the NFL Draft; rather, it’s an honor to be drafted at all,” Salata said.
“The last draft pick’s demonstration of perseverance is lesson that resonates not only with NFL players and fans, but also with people everywhere.”
For being picked last, Wilson gets a trip to Newport Beach, California, for Irrelevant Week from June 28 to July 2. There he will visit Disneyland, participate in media opportunities, go to a baseball game, participate in a sailing regatta and receive the 44th Lowsman Trophy — a spoof on the Heisman Trophy — at a banquet in his honor. The Lowsman has a figure of someone fumbling a football. The organization also raises money for charity.
“I just embrace it,” Wilson told ESPN. “All I needed was my name to get called and the opportunity. It’s a lifelong dream as a kid to be picked in the NFL draft, so just to see my name pop up on the screen and the happiness on my family’s face. I just embraced it all. It’s an honor, to be honest.”
Past Mr. Irrelevants include Seahawks cornerback Kalan Reed (2016), Titans kicker Ryan Succop (2009) and Chiefs quarterback Bill Kenney (1978).
The Lowsman Trophy ? #IrrelevantWeek pic.twitter.com/Ys2utTgcri
— Chris Hayre (@chrishayre) July 1, 2017
Wilson led UCLA in catches (60) and receiving yards (965). In fact, he led all Div. 1 tight ends in receiving yards, receptions per game (5.0) and receiving yards per game (80.4), according to ESPN. He was named a second-team All-American.
“I think it’s almost like the American way,” Cardinals GM Steve Keim said, reported ESPN. “It’s like you have an opportunity just because you’re the last pick in the draft. It doesn’t matter where you’re picked. We all have a chance to do big things. We all know where the guy who was the MVP in the Super Bowl was drafted, so, again, it makes our jobs fun.”
He might be referring to reigning Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman, who was picked 232nd in the draft in 2009, or former Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who was selected 199th in 2000.
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