FROM RELEVANT TO MR. IRRELEVANT, ARIZONA CARDINALS HAVE IT COVERED

Arizona, barring any trades, is the fortunate (or not so fortunate?) franchise begin and close out the NFL Draft.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen says, “it’s annoying,” to be involved in trade rumors heading into the NFL Draft that begins Thursday in Nashville.However, one thing’s for sure. The Cardinals’ final draft pick will not be annoyed when he’s selected as the 254th pick of the NFL Draft and becomes Mr. Irrelevant XLIV (that’s 44 for all who hate Roman numerals).

The Mr. Irrelevant pick is one of the great traditions of the NFL Draft. Mr. Irrelevant will seal a trip for Irrelevant Week (June 28-July 2) in Newport Beach, where everyone will be rooting for the guy to make the squad. Well, there might be some roasting.

On June 28, during the Lowsman Banquet at the beautiful Balboa Bay Resort, Mr. Irrelevant XLIV (yes, that’s 44) will receive the Lowsman Trophy, a beautiful piece of hardware that has the figurine fumbling the ball -- basically the opposite of the Heisman.

After the week’s done, he will do his best to make the Cardinals’ team, something last year’s Mr. Irrelevant XLIII (um, 43) Trey Quinn did with the Washington Redskins.

Tennessee Titans kicker Ryan Succop, Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV (34!) in 2009 (picked by the Chiefs), is one of the most successful Mr. Irrelevants. He will join Irrelevant Week CEO Melanie Fitch at the podium to announce the NFL draft’s final pick on Saturday. “It was really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Succop, an 11-year NFL veteran, said of experiencing Irrelevant Week. “Not too many people get to do that. It was a lot of fun. I had my family and friends out there with me. You get to do a lot of things that you normally wouldn’t have the chance to do. I remember going to Disneyland, riding all the rides and having cameras following me. Everybody thinks I’m someone important and I had to disappoint them and tell them I’m just the last guy in the draft. It was really neat. They celebrate you and they roast you pretty good too.”

Fitch remains proud of Succop and will gladly welcome the new Mr. Irrelevant into the family. That’s because the Mr. Irrelevant concept, doing something nice for someone for no reason at all, is very important to the Salata family. “We have been celebrating the selection of Mr. Irrelevant for 44 years,” Fitch said. “It has been a great concept thought up by my dad (Paul Salata-49ers, Steelers, Colts) to honor the last guy picked in the NFL Draft. Who is this guy? The bottom of the barrel (but hey), he is one of the select few athletes that are drafted out of the thousands of athletes that are eligible. We have no idea who is this guy, but the community rallies every year to honor this underdog and help him to feel like he is just as important as the first selection of the draft. Often, these players are from little towns in obscure places and they have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to celebrate their achievements with the focus all on them. Most of the Mr. Irrelevants have never seen the ocean, be the attention of proclamations, or in any kind of limelight. Our family is glad that the NFL allows us to take this on and celebrate Mr. Irrelevant as if he is the number one selection. He is number one to us. It’s irrelevant that he is No. 254 to everyone else, except maybe his mom.”

Irrelevant Week is a fun week for Mr. Irrelevant. It’s also a great opportunity for Irrelevant Week to raise money for charity and give back to the community. Last year Irrelevant Week provided money for scholarships for student-athletes entering colleges, funding for sports uniforms for athletes unable to afford them, volunteers for mentoring and tutoring to high school and elementary aged students, and the food for Thanksgiving dinners to families and an orphanage in Mexico.

This year, in addition to more donations to various charities, Irrelevant Week will take part in the Huddle for 100, an effort to inspire 1 million people to volunteer 100 minutes of their time to make meaningful contributions to their communities. The Huddle for 100 is part of NFL100, the league’s celebration of its 100th year. Irrelevant Week is set to have 254 (get it?) volunteers to participate.

It’s irrelevant if the Cardinals make trades in the beginning, the best is saved for last.

*For interviews and media inquiries, contact Irrelevant Week CEO Melanie Salata Fitch via email at irrelevantweek@gmail.com.