Mr. Irrelevant is the title given to the final player selected in the entire NFL Draft.
Many believe that it is better to go undrafted, than to be a seventh round pick by an NFL team. That gives the player more control over the team and situation in which he lands in. Still, there is a definite honor in being selected at all.
Being a late seventh rounder like Mr. Irrelevant makes for a tough road to actually playing meaningful NFL minutes though. Few really break through as big-time players.
Three of the last five Mr. Irrelevant selections have been major conference players. Four are offensive players, including one pretty high-profile quarterback. Here is how their careers have gone so far.
2019: TE Caleb Wilson – UCLA – drafted by Arizona Cardinals
Wilson was a second-team All-American for the UCLA Bruins in 2018. He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals, but waived in late August. The next day, he signed to the practice squad. At the end of the season, he was signed off the practice squad by the Washington Redskins, and remains on their roster.
2018: WR Trey Quinn – SMU – drafted by Washington Redskins
Quinn was a high school All-American, and started his career at LSU. He broke out after transferring to SMU, catching 114 passes for 1,236 yards and 13 touchdowns during his final collegiate season.
He’s played 15 total games through two seasons in Washington, dealing with a number of injuries during that time. He has 35 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns during his career so far.
2017: QB Chad Kelly – Ole Miss – drafted by Denver Broncos
There may not be a more notable Mr. Irrelevant, at least in recent years, than Chad Kelly. He had quite the interesting college career, surfacing at Ole Miss after being kicked off of Clemson’s team. He made back-to-back All-SEC teams in 2015 and 2016.
He made some waves after being taken by the Broncos, and some thought he might be able to push for actual playing time after impressing in preseason. Midway through the 2018 season, he was released after being arrested for criminal trespassing when he wandered into a stranger’s home after Von Miller’s annual team Halloween Party. He was later signed by the Indianapolis Colts, and remains on the roster.
Kelly appeared in one game for the Broncos, losing a yard on a rushing attempt.
2016: CB Kalan Reed – Southern Miss – drafted by Tennessee Titans
After an All-Conference USA career at Southern Miss, Reed played two seasons for the Titans. He played in seven games for the team, finishing with four tackles and one pass deflection.
He was released following an injury in the 2018 preseason. The Seattle Seahawks added him to the practice squad, and briefly, the active roster. In August 2019, he suffered what was deemed a likely career-ending neck injury. He hit free agency last month, and has not been signed.
2015: TE Gerald Christian – Louisville – drafted by Arizona Cardinals
Christian began his career with the Florida Gators, before transferring to the Louisville Cardinals. He was a third-team All-ACC player in his final college season.
He has bounced around the NFL during the course of his football career. He hit injured reserve with a torn MCL in the 2015 preseason, and was cut by the team the following summer. The Buffalo Bills picked him up that season, and he had a brief stint on the active roster that fall. He spent a few months back with the Cardinals, but was waived ahead of the 2017 season.
Last year, Christian played for the AAF’s Atlanta Legends and Arizona Hotshots before the league folded.
In the NFL, he finished with three appearances with the Bills in 2016, catching one pass for 14 yards.