The last selection of the 2017 NFL Draft and the newest member of the esteemed fraternity of those named Mr. Irrelevant is Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly.
NFL draft 2017: Mr. Irrelevant is Chad Kelly
Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly is this year’s Mr. Irrelevant.
Photo by Butch Dill/Getty Images
Kelly was selected by the Denver Broncos with the No. 253 overall selection, officially bringing the NFL draft to a close. But for Kelly, the pick doesn’t just mean he’s the newest member of the Broncos — he’s also now in line for a week of celebration in Southern California.
In 1976, former NFL wide receiver Paul Salata invented Irrelevant Week, a one-week celebration of the final pick in the draft. After an arrival party, trip to Disneyland, and other festivities, Kelly will receive the Lowsman Trophy — a parody of the Heisman Trophy.
If Kelly actually makes an impact for the Broncos, it would buck a long trend of Mr. Irrelevant selections doing not much of anything. The last real contributor was Ryan Succop — the last selection in the 2009 NFL Draft — who started five seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and is now with the Tennessee Titans.
He has a strong chance at making the roster in Denver, where there is no sure thing at quarterback and there is an impending battle between Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian.
The weird history of Mr. Irrelevant
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