A Purdy Good Year
Mr. Irrelevant Could Go All the Way - 49ers Legacy Continues
Ryan Hoag, Mr. Irrelevant XXVIII with Irrelevant Week CEO, Melanie Salata Fitch
There have been more than 11,000 regular and postseason games since Kelvin Kirk earned the inaugural Mr. Irrelevant moniker, honoring the final draft pick in the (1976) NFL draft.
Back then, there were many more rounds (Kirk was the 487th pick in the 17th round) and Irrelevant Week founder Paul Salata, a former professional football player (49ers), decided to “do something nice for someone that wouldn’t normally get recognized”. Thus spawned the term Mr. Irrelevant, honored since 1976, and given to the final draft pick of the NFL draft. Salata felt like it was irrelevant that someone was last, and rather, deserved to receive an honor for being drafted at all. Forty-eight years later, the tradition of honoring the last draft pick with a Lowsman Trophy (much like a Heisman Trophy, except fumbling the football), a week long celebration in Newport Beach,California, all while being dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” rages on better than ever.
Some reasons to celebrate include the success of this past year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Desjuan Johnson, who made the Rams active roster and was a rotational player on a playoff team, as well as Brock Purdy, the 2022 Mr. Irrelevant who has become the first Mr. Irrelevant QB to lead his team to the Super Bowl. In fact, the last four Mr. Irrelevants (Tae Crowder, Grant Stuard, Purdy and Johnson) have made the final 53 man active roster proving that the term irrelevant no longer applies to them. Purdy has done anything but become irrelevant in two short years, leading his team to the NFC Championship game back-to-back seasons and has yet to lose a playoff game he has started and finished.
As a past Mr. Irrelevant myself (#28) I can attest that it’s hard enough to make it onto a roster in the NFL as a 7 th round draft pick--only 11% of 7 th round players do—but to make it at the most challenging position while putting yourself in the MVP finalist category…that’s what they make movies about.
In a league that has unprecedented depth, what Purdy is doing as the 262nd draft pick is simply astounding. I can only imagine the late Paul Salata looking down on his former team, San Francisco, with enormous pride watching the team being lead by Mr. Irrelevant #47, Brock Purdy.
When I saw Melanie Salata Fitch, the CEO of Irrelevant Week in Vegas, she told me, “The Irrelevant Week Team is excited to be here for the Super Bowl and cheer on Brody Purdy and all things that stand for the underdog.”
Written by Ryan Hoag, Mr. Irrelevant XXVIII drafted by the Oakland Raiders.