There have been a lot of cool nicknames in the NFL: GOAT, Cheetah, Megatron, The Refrigerator, The Assassin and Primetime, to name a few. Being called "irrelevant" is not the best compliment in the world, but it is what the last pick in the NFL Draft has been called since 1976.
This year's "Mr. Irrelevant" is quarterback Brock Purdy out of Iowa State, taken in the seventh round with the No. 262 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers.
Getting drafted at all is an incredible accomplishment for young players and no doubt Purdy is more excited about being on an NFL team than he is upset that he got picked last.
The 49ers announced the tweet on their account with the caption, "relevant."
Relevant: @CycloneFB quarterback @brockpurdy13 is headed to The Bay.#NFLDraft x #49ersDraft pic.twitter.com/tPU7kOtqPU
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) April 30, 2022
The 22-year-old had a 67.7 percent pass completion, with 12,170 yards, 81 touchdowns and 33 interceptions in the 46 games he played in his four years with the Cyclones.
Purdy marks the first "irrelevant" quarterback taken since 2017, when the Denver Broncos selected Chad Kelly.
Despite the negative connotation of the name, getting selected last does have its perks.
Paul Salata, who played football for the University of Southern California, the NFL, and the Canadian Football League, created the Mr. Irrelevant Award and wanted to flip it into something positive.
"We established Irrelevant Week to drive home an important message – that it's not a negative to be picked last in the NFL Draft; rather, it's an honor to be drafted at all," Salata said. "The last draft pick's demonstration of perseverance is [a] lesson that resonates not only with NFL players and fans, but also with people everywhere."
Irrelevant Week takes the final pick on a trip to Newport Beach, California, where they visit Disneyland, visit a charity, attend media events and more.
The first Mr. Irrelevant to play in and win Super Bowl came in 2021, when Tampa Bay Buccaneers placekicker Ryan Succop faced the Kansas City Chiefs in the big game, so there is hope for Purdy.
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