(RNN) - Being the last player selected in the NFL Draft may seem as bad as being the last kid picked on the playground, especially with a title like Mr. Irrelevant.
But the Mr. Irrelevant distinction comes with a bit of fun.
Sure, the die hard fans who stick around for the last pick will probably boo and chant “overrated.” And the network analysts, exhausted from three days of coverage, will show how little film they watched on the final draftee as they struggle their way through the 30 seconds the producer set aside for them to speak about him.
Even so, later in the summer, Mr. Irrelevant will spend a week at Newport Beach, CA, and enjoy a golf tournament, a regatta, a roast and a ceremony where he receives the Lowsman Trophy, a spoof of the prestigious Heisman Trophy, that features a player fumbling the ball.
Paul Salata founded the Irrelevant Week celebration in 1976. He was present for the final pick every year until his old age passed that honor to a family member.
The publicity that comes with Irrelevant Week caused some teams to covet the final pick. In 1979, the Los Angeles Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers had the final two picks of the draft. Each of them wanted to pick last, so the Rams passed on their pick to make the Steelers pick before them, but Pittsburgh did the same thing to LA.
Former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle put an end to it and created the Salata rule that prohibits teams from passing to get the last pick.
The Atlanta Falcons have the final pick in the 2018 draft and, barring a trade, they will do the honor of selecting the 40th Mr. Irrelevant.
Naturally, the later you go in the draft, the smaller your chances are of making the team. A lot of players would prefer to go undrafted so they can choose a team to sign with.
But the final pick isn’t immune to success stories.
In recent memory, Ryan Succop has been one of the most successful players to ever be Mr. Irrelevant. He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2009.
Nine seasons later, he’s still in the league, now as a kicker for the Tennessee Titans, and is considered one of the more solid kickers in the game. (Of course, kickers are rarely drafted.)
Other success stories include Ramzee Robinson, Marty Moore, Michael Green, Matt Elliot, Jim Finn, David Vobora and Norman Jefferson.
The current Mr. Irrelevant is Chad Kelly. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos but spent most of the season on injured reserve.
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