“Mr. Irrelevant” is the term used for the last player selected in the NFL draft each year.
Very few Mr. Irrelevants have made much of an impact at the NFL level, but some of them managed to beat the odds en route to a solid pro football career.
Here are our rankings for the last 20 NFL Mr Irrelevants, from the 2002 to the 2021 drafts.
21. Andy Stokes (2005)
Like a large portion of Mr. Irrelevants in NFL history, Stokes never actually suited up for an NFL game.
Stokes was a standout tight end at William Penn, earning First-team All-MSFA honors in his senior season.
The back-to-back Super Bowl champion New England Patriots made Stokes the final selection of the 2005 draft.
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Stokes tried out for the Patriots, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, but he never made either of their rosters.
After his playing career, Stokes became the head football coach at Dixie High School in St. George, Utah, before taking the position at Timpview High.
20. Andre Sommersell (2004)
The Oakland Raiders drafted the Colorado State linebacker with the 255th selection in the 2004 Draft. However, he was released before the start of the season and wound up signing with the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europe.
Sommersell then signed with Edmonton’s CFL team in the 2006 season. He saw limited action there and was released after one year.
Sommersell is now the head coach of the Dubai Stallions in the Emirates American Football League.
19. Kevin McMahan (2006)
Two years after making Sommersell the 2004 Mr. Irrelevant, the Raiders presented the same honors to Kevin McMahan.
McMahan was a standout wide receiver at Maine, but he wasn’t able to stick around long in the NFL. The Raiders released McMahan in training camp. He eventually landed on the practice squads of the New York Giants and the Kansas City Chiefs, but McMahan was released on each occasion.
McMahan saw some preseason action during his time with the Giants, but he never played a regular season contest.
18. Ahmad Miller (2002)
The expansion Houston Texans franchise started the 2002 NFL draft by selecting David Carr first overall. They ended it by taking Ahmad Miller with the 261st and final selection.
The UNLV defensive tackle got as far as training camp with the Texans but never played a game for them. Miller was later signed to the New York Giants, but he didn’t make the final roster and never wound up playing an NFL game.
17. Ryan Hoag (2003)
The Gustavus Adolphus wide receiver earned First-Team All-MIAC selections in 2001 and 2002.
His efforts caught the attention of the Raiders, who used the final selection on Hoag in the 2003 draft.
Hoag joined a Raiders receiving group that included the GOAT Jerry Rice and another future Hall of Famer in Tim Brown. The Raiders were coming off a trip to Super Bowl 37, but Hoag wouldn’t get the chance to be part of their redemption quest.
He was released by the Raiders before the start of the season. He landed on the Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Washington rosters. He was even on the Vikings’ active roster for three contests in 2004, though Hoag never played a snap.
Hoag tried out for Edmonton’s CFL team but was cut from the practice squad. In 2008, the Jacksonville Jaguars tried out Hoag, who saw some preseason action before getting cut prior to Week 1.
16. Tim Toone (2010)
Toone also unfortunately never had the chance to suit up in an NFL game. The Detroit Lions made the Weber State wideout the “Mr. Irrelevant” of the 2010 draft.
Toone stayed on the Lions roster throughout 2010 and 2011. He was released multiple times only to come back, but the Lions never used him in a regular season game.
Toone eventually landed on the Buffalo Bills’ and Denver Broncos’ practice squads, but it was the same deal. No NFL games for him.
He was later picked up by the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints in 2012 and 2013, respectively, but Toone was released by both clubs before ever playing a game for either of them.
15. Grant Stuard (2021)
Stuard has yet to appear in an NFL game. Technically speaking, all he has to do is suit up once to go further than a bunch of the Mr. Irrelevants on this list.
It’s easy to overlook seventh-round selections, but Stuard has the potential to be a steal for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Houston linebacker earned Second team All-AAC and First team All-AAC honors in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
And what better landing spot than the defending Super Bowl champions? All Stuard needs to do is make one tackle in a regular season game, and he’ll find himself a lot higher on our next Mr. Irrelevant list.
14. Chandler Harnish (2012)
Like the Houston Texans in 2002, the Indianapolis Colts *started* and *finished* the NFL Draft in 2012. They took Andrew Luck with the first overall pick. And they made another quarterback, Northern Illinois product Chandler Harnish, the final selection.
Harnish had a successful career for the Huskies. In his final season, he threw for 3,216 yards and 28 touchdowns against six interceptions. But obviously, Harnish was never going to threaten Luck’s starting job.
He stayed with the Colts for two seasons, having been released on multiple occasions. Harnish would never play a game for Indianapolis, however.
He spent time on the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad but never played a snap in the regular season. Harnish signed with the Arizona Cardinals in the 2015 offseason but was let go in August.
13. Chad Kelly (2017)
The nephew of Buffalo Bills legend and Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly was the final pick of the 2017 draft, going in the 253rd spot to the Broncos.
The Ole Miss quarterback unfortunately suffered an ACL tear and a torn lateral meniscus during his final year of college. Nonetheless, the Broncos were happy to take a chance on him.
Kelly missed the entire 2017 season as he spent time recovering from wrist surgery. In the Broncos’ Week 6, 2018 home game against the Los Angeles Rams, Kelly came out to perform one kneel down. That would be his only snap with the team.
The Colts signed Kelly in 2019, waived him, then brought him up to their practice squad and later promoted him to the active roster. He was released early in the 2020 season, however, without ever playing a snap for the team.
At least Kelly spent some time on a few active rosters, though…
12. Gerald Christian (2015)
The Cardinals used the final selection of 2015 on the Louisville tight end. But a torn MCL he suffered in preseason prevented Christian from ever suiting up for the team. Christian missed all of 2015 and was released by the team ahead of the 2016 season.
Christian landed with the Buffalo Bills practice squad soon after, and was later promoted to the main roster. He played 21 snaps with Buffalo, 18 on offense, and recorded one catch for 14 yards. He was released by the Bills in the 2017 offseason. Christian later signed with the Atlanta Legends of the AAF, but the league folded before finishing its inaugural 2019 campaign
11. Caleb Wilson (2019)
Wilson is in the top half of this list because his career is still going. He hasn’t finished writing his “Mr. Irrelevant story.”
He was drafted by the Cardinals with the final pick in 2019, and spent most of his rookie year on their practice squad. Washington signed him late in the season, though he never played a game.
Wilson finally saw playing time when the Eagles picked him up in the 2020 offseason. He appeared in five games, playing a total of nine snaps.
10. Kalan Reed (2016)
The Tennessee Titans used the final pick of the 2016 draft on Southern Miss cornerback Kalan Reed. And this Mr. Irrelevant actually enjoyed some playing time in the NFL.
Reed suited up in a trio of games for the Titans in his rookie year, and for four more games in the 2017 campaign. He played a total of 21 snaps over those two seasons, recording three combined tackles and one pass defended.
Reed was released shortly before the start of the 2018 season after going on the IR with a broken foot.
He later signed with the Seahawks, before suffering a neck injury that was considered to be career-ending.
Reed beat the odds and got to appear in seven NFL games, though. Not half-bad for a Mr. Irrelevant.
9. Justice Cunningham (2013)
The Colts used the final draft selection of 2013 on the South Carolina tight end. But Cunningham wound up spending most of his three-year career with the St. Louis Rams.
He appeared in one game for the Colts in 2013, recording one catch for four yards. Late in the 2013 season, he was picked up by the Rams and joined their roster squad. Though he was promoted to the main roster in 2014, Cunningham never played a snap.
He saw more playing time in his final NFL season in 2015. Cunningham played 11 snaps on offense and 9 on special teams. He was waived before the start of the 2016 season.
8. Lonnie Ballentine (2014)
The 2014 Mr. Irrelevant, selected by the Texans, lasted three years in the NFL despite a series of injuries. Credit him for hanging in there.
The Memphis linebacker didn’t play at all in his rookie season. He suited up for two games in 2015, playing 26 snaps on defense and 19 on special teams before suffering season-ending PCL and MCL tears.
Ballentine appeared in two games for the Texans in 2016, playing 10 snaps on defense and 20 on special teams. The Texans released him in September 2017, marking the end of his NFL career.
7. Cheta Ozougwu (2011)
Ozougwu saw far more playing time than the average Mr. Irrelevant, that’s for sure.
The Texans used the No. 254 selection on the Rice defensive end. Ozougwu never played for the team, however, and he eventually landed with the Chicago Bears in 2012.
Ozougwu played in nine games for the Bears over the next two seasons, recording eight combined tackles, a forced fumble and one sack.
The New Orleans Saints picked up Ozougwu in the 2014 offseason, but he was waived shortly after being placed on the IR with an undisclosed injury. And so ended his short but fairly sweet Mr. Irrelevant journey.
6. Tae Crowder (2020)
Like Caleb Wilson, Crowder is a recent Mr. Irrelevant who has lots of time to build up a special story.
The New York Giants used the final pick of 2020 on Crowder, the linebacker out of Georgia. He made six starts in his rookie year and suited up for a total of 11 games. Crowder recorded 57 combined tackles, one pass defended and a sack.
Now, we see if he can add more to his improbable journey…
5. David Vobora (2008)
The Idaho linebacker pulled off the rare Mr. Irrelevant feat of actually playing for the NFL team that drafted him. He played three seasons for the Rams, which is pretty darn good, all things considered.
He spent most of his rookie season on the practice squad, appearing in one regular season game. In 2009, Vobora started 10 games and was a solid contributor on defense, with 46 combined tackles, two passes defended and one forced fumble.
Vobora played 14 games for the Rams in 2010, where he notched the only two sacks of his career. He spent one final season with Seattle in 2011, appearing in six games.
4. Ramzee Robinson (2007)
The Alabama cornerback was selected by the Detroit Lions with the final pick of the star-studded 2007 draft. And Robinson fared pretty well for a guy that ws the last overall pick of the draft.
Robinson appeared in 19 total games for the Lions in the 2007 and ‘08 seasons. He played four games for the Cleveland Browns in 2009 and three for the Eagles. His NFL journey lasted until 2012, when he was released by the Broncos after they picked him up.
But hey, 26 NFL games for a Mr. Irrelevant is pretty good if you ask us!
3. Trey Quinn (2018)
Three NFL seasons in the books for Quinn. Can’t ask for much more from a Mr. Irrelevant.
Washington drafted the SMU receiver with the final pick in the 2018 draft. He spent time as a receiver and punt returner during his two years in DC.
Quinn finished with 35 catches, 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his two years with Washington to go along with 130 punt return yards.
He played one game for the Jaguars in 2020, spending most of the year on their practice squad.
The Las Vegas Raiders signed Quinn in January 2021. Let’s see if he can add even more to his resume in Sin City.
2. Ryan Succop (2009)
When all is said and done, Succup could go down as the greatest Mr. Irrelevant of all time.
He was the final selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009. Fast forward more than a decade later, and he’s continued his strong run as a veteran starting kicker. Oh, did we mention he won a Super Bowl 55 championship with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2020 season?
That year, Succop made 90.3 percent of his field goal attempts, and 52 of 57 extra point attempts. He is the only Mr. Irrelevant to have won a Super Bowl. This man has totally set the bar for every man who is ever picked last at the NFL draft.
1. Brock Purdy (2022)
What more can be said about 2022 Mr. Irrelevant? Two NFC Championship Game appearances, one near-Super Bowl 58 title and a 17-and-4 record through his first two seasons as a starter?
Anytime a Mr. Irrelevant becomes a starter, it’s an accomplishment. The fact Purdy emerged as a franchise QB on a Super Bowl contender? Now that’s its own story that no Mr. Irrelevant will repeat.
Who do you think is the greatest “Mr. Irrelevant” in NFL history?
