NFL Draft's Mr. Irrelevant: The five best final picks of all time

As part of a tradition that started in 1976, the last pick in every NFL Draft earns the infamous nickname Mr. Irrelevant.

Every player labelled with the moniker is awarded the Lowsman Trophy - a Heisman knockoff where the player is fumbling the ball.

While most of these players never play a meaningful NFL snap, a handful have far exceeded expectations.

Here are the top five Mr. Irrelevants in NFL history.

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Top five Mr. Irrelevants

1. Brock Purdy, QB - 2022 (Pick 262, San Francisco 49ers)

Purdy is the obvious answer, and there's little argument.

Coming out of Iowa State, he was picked last among 262 players and was initially buried on San Francisco's depth chart behind Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Neither of those two stayed healthy, and by December, Purdy was the starter. He won all five of his regular-season starts, a playoff game, and the 49ers went to the NFC Championship.

The following season, Purdy threw for 4,280 yards, led the league with a passer rating of 113.0, made the Pro Bowl, and took San Francisco to Super Bowl LVIII.

Unlike some of his cohort below, Purdy is yet to win a ring, but by getting close and becoming a capable starter at the most important position on the field, he belongs at No. 1.

2. Ryan Succop, K - 2009 (Pick 256, Kansas City Chiefs)

For over a decade, Succop was the gold standard atop the list of best Mr. Irrelevants.

Kansas City selected him 256th overall in 2009 out of South Carolina, and he immediately tied the NFL rookie field-goal percentage record at 86.2%. He also passed Jan Stenerud for most field goals by a Chiefs rookie.

Succop stuck around for 14 seasons with the Chiefs, Titans and Buccaneers, converting 82.9% of his kicks and racking up 1,430 career points.

Super Bowl LV was the pinnacle of his career. Tampa Bay beat Kansas City 31-9, and Succop made a 52-yarder that sealed it.

As the first Mr. Irrelevant to play and win a Super Bowl as an active, contributing player, he was an easy choice at this spot.

3. Jacque MacKinnon, TE - 1961 (Pick 280, Philadelphia Eagles)

The Mr. Irrelevant title didn't exist in 1961, but MacKinnon was the last pick of that year's draft, and his career more than earns him a spot here.

Philadelphia picked him 280th, but he signed with the San Diego Chargers of the AFL instead, where he won an AFL Championship in 1963, made the All-Star team in 1966 and again in 1968.

Across 118 career games, Mackinnon totalled 112 catches, 2,109 yards, and 20 touchdowns, earning a spot in the Chargers Hall of Fame.

4. Michael Green, DB - 2000 (Pick 254, Chicago Bears)

The Bears picked Green 254th out of Northwestern State, and he went on to enjoy the kind of career that very few Mr. Irrelevants get to enjoy.

He played 104 games in the NFL over eight seasons, spent three years as Chicago's starting strong safety from 2002 to 2004, topped 100 tackles in two of those seasons, and was part of the 2005 Bears defense that led the league in fewest points allowed.

Al Messerschmidt / Staff

Green ended his career with 434 combined tackles, six sacks, four interceptions, seven forced fumbles, and eight fumble recoveries.

Before Purdy came along, he had a strong case as the most productive non-kicker to be selected last in his respective draft.

5. Bill "Moose" Fischer, G - 1948 (Chicago Cardinals)

Granted, it could be argued that Fischer doesn't quite fit the criteria.

After the Cardinals picked the Notre Dame guard last in the 1948 draft, he stayed in school another year and then re-entered the draft, where Chicago took him again, but in the first round.

He was the first player ever selected last in a draft to make the Pro Bowl, earning a spot not once but three times, in 1950, 1951, and 1952.

Every Mr. Irrelevant since 1976

*Bill Kenney was technically the second-to-last pick in 1978. The official Mr. Irrelevant, Lee Washburn, never made training camp, so Kenney inherited the title by default.