When “Mr. Irrelevant” Became Relevant

The final pick of the NFL Draft has always been popular for all the wrong reasons. Whoever is chosen with the last draft pick has, since 1976, been christened with the name of “Mr. Irrelevant”. A majority of the men who have been picked last haven’t gone on to amount for much in the NFL. In fact, a lot of players don’t even get a start.

In saying that, there have been a few in the last 41 years that have ended up becoming more than just a household name for being at the end of the line. It has helped some of these players that the draft was cut down to seven rounds in 1994, but you still can’t deny that these players had or continue to have decent careers, despite their draft status. Who are they though? Let’s have a look:

Players taken from 1994 onwards, stats from NFL.com

Marty Moore

Marty Moore was the last pick in the 1994 draft, and the New England Patriots got a lot more than the pick suggested. The linebacker out of the University of Kentucky was the first “Mr. Irrelevant” to participate in a Super Bowl, in a losing effort against the Green Bay Packers in SB XXXI. Moore ended up playing eight seasons for the Patriots and the Cleveland Browns, totaling 112 games in what turned out to be a solid career.

Mike Green

Mike Green was taken by the Chicago Bears with the final pick in the 2000 NFL draft, and it ended up being one of the best draft picks that Chicago made. Green was a pivotal man in the secondary for the Bears in the five years he was there, racking up 100+ combined tackles in two separate seasons.

Green would leave Chicago in 2005, playing for both Seattle and Washington before retiring in 2008. The defensive back out of Northwestern State at Louisiana ended up with with 426 tackles, 6 sacks and 4 interceptions in a pretty decent career.

Jim Finn

Jim Finn was Mr. Irrelevant in the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bears, however, he managed to hang around for quite a while before being cut in 2007 by the New York Giants. He bounced off the Chicago squad after being in their practice squad, moving to Indianapolis for a three-year stint from 2000-2002. Finn never made much of an impact, moving to New York in 2003 for a four-year stint with the Giants.

Finn was the starting fullback for the Giants prior to the 2007 season, where he was placed on the injured reserve. His claim to fame is that he was on the roster which won Super Bowl XLII, before being cut to end his NFL career. He is also one of two players to have a reception off both Manning brothers.

David Vobora

Out of the lot on this list, Vobora had the most controversial career after being taken last in the 2008 draft by St. Louis. He would almost immediately be sent to the practice squad, but got his first start in the middle of the 2008 season. Vobora would be the first Mr. Irrelevant in 14 years to start, as no one since Marty Moore had started after being picked last.

Vobora would be the starting strongside linebacker in 2009, but was out for four games after violating the NFL PED policy. He would comeback and play 12 games in 2009, as well as 14 in 2010. The Seahawks took him in 2011, where he played six games before retiring.

Ryan Succop

The most successful out of those picked as Mr. Irrelevant, Succop was taken as the second kicker and final player in the 2009 draft by Kansas City. It turned out to be a masterstroke, with Succop becoming the starting kicker immediately. He would not miss an extra point attempt in his time at Kansas City, playing five seasons for the Chiefs before being cut in the 2014 season.

That wasn’t the end, with Tennessee picking up the kicker immediately. Succop has averaged close to 87% during his time with the Titans when attempting field goals, and has only had 3 extra point attempts blocked or missed during his four seasons so far. He also has NFL records for the best field goal percentage by a rookie in a season, as well as the most consecutive field goals inside 50 yards with 56 (also a Titans record). You’d have to say that’s a successful career so far.

The latest Mr. Irrelevant was Trey Quinn, a wide receiver out of Southern Methodist University. Drafted by the Washington Redskins with the 256th pick, Quinn was on the roster for 3 games. He would end up with a a touchdown to go with 9 receptions for 75 yards. Could he have a successful NFL career? Only time will tell.

Featured Image – Kansas City Star