KANSAS CITY, Mo. — That’s a wrap on the NFL Draft, ending with the 259th and final selection after three days of picking, wheeling and dealing.
This year, the last player picked in the draft -- who has become known and celebrated as 'Mr. Irrelevant' -- was Toledo defensive end Desjuan Johnson. He was nabbed by the Los Angeles Rams after they made a deal with the Houston Texans -- something Houston was doing a lot in this draft!
While the title of ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ makes the player sounds like he’s…well, irrelevant, the final player selected in last year's draft proved to be anything but.
The 2022 NFL Draft class' 'Mr. Irrelevant' was Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy. San Francisco used the final pick on him and after starting the seasons as the third-string signal caller, he found himself starting after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. And all he did was lead the Niners to the playoffs, getting one win from competing in the Super Bowl, easily the best performance by a 'Mr. Irrelevant' quarterback. According to ESPN, before Purdy, there hadn't been a quarterback selected last in the draft to even throw a pass in the NFL.
That might be the biggest ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ success story in the title’s history, which, according to CBS Sports, debuted in 1976.
Houston's history with Mr. Irrelevant
Houston has had some ties to ‘Mr. Irrelevant,’ including when the University of Houston’s Grant Stuard was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the final pick of the 2021 draft. The Texans have picked Mr. Irrelevant three times -- most recently in the 2017 draft when they picked up Lonnie Ballentine out of Memphis. In 2011, Mr. Irrelevant had a double dose of Houston as the Texans used the last pick of the draft to grab Rice’s Cheta Ozougwu. And the first time the Texans had the final pick was in 2002 when they grabbed Ahmad Miller from UNLV.
You can read more about other Mr. Irrelevants who were very relevant in this CBS Sports article.
