The 20 Greatest Mr. Irrelevants of All Time

By Jacob Kornhauser

The 20 Greatest Mr. Irrelevants of All Time

Wild Card Playoffs - Kansas City Chiefs v Indianapolis Colts — Most of the time the last player taken in the NFL draft lives up to his name of Mr. Irrelevant. However, sometimes there are players taken in that spot that become quite relevant. While the expectations placed on them aren't very high, these 20 Mr. Irrelevants found a way to leave their mark in one way or another.

20. Michael Reed

Carolina Panthers v San Francisco 49ers

20. Michael Reed

Carolina Panthers v San Francisco 49ers — Reed was the last pick of the 1995 draft by the new expansion Carolina Panthers and made a small mark once there. For the brand new Panthers, he had three tackles over two games for Carolina in their first NFL season.

19. Tim Washington

NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks

19. Tim Washington

NFC Championship - San Francisco 49ers v Seattle Seahawks — Washington was taken in the 1982 draft and played in a very limited capacity. However, the limited capacity with which he played was pretty impressive. He managed to play in one game for both the 49ers and Chiefs during his short NFL career.

18. John Tuggle

Washington Redskins v New York Giants

18. John Tuggle

Washington Redskins v New York Giants — No, Tuggle didn't look like Eli Manning, but he did play for the same team. He was taken in the 1983 draft by the Giants and made a decent impact once he got there. He returned kicks for the team and also had 17 carries including a touchdown run.

17. Chandler Harnish

St. Louis Rams v Indianapolis Colts

17. Chandler Harnish

St. Louis Rams v Indianapolis Colts — Still trying to get his professional career going, this former stand out NIU quarterback made a good impression on the Colts last season. With his particular skill set, there's a good chance he could end up sticking as a backup quarterback somewhere eventually.

16. Mike Green

Chicago Bears 2005 Headshots

16. Mike Green

Chicago Bears 2005 Headshots — Playing for the Bears, Green had quite the presence on the vaunted Monsters of the Midway defense. Over the course of his career, he totaled 406 tackles, six sacks and four interceptions. Those certainly aren't bad numbers for someone who was supposed to be irrelevant.

15. Kelvin Kirk

Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers

15. Kelvin Kirk

Cleveland Browns v Pittsburgh Steelers — Kirk was more successful because he was the first ever Mr. Irrelevant taken by the Steelers. Even though he didn't stick in the NFL, he went on to have a marginally successful CFL career.

14. George Hafner

SEC Championship - Missouri v Auburn

14. George Hafner

SEC Championship - Missouri v Auburn — Hafner was a quarterback that was taken in 1965 and actually didn't have a successful NFL career, but he did have a successful career in football. He quickly went into coaching and coached under Bobby Bowden at Florida State. Hafner was also on the staff in Georgia for one national championship run.

13. Tyrone McGriff

Pittsburgh Steelers v Houston Texans

13. Tyrone McGriff

Pittsburgh Steelers v Houston Texans — Not many players taken in the later rounds ever start a game. Even as Mr. Irrelevant, McGriff managed to start 10 games over three seasons for the Steelers. To even earn one start after being taken last in the draft is relatively impressive.

12. Cheta Ozougwu

Houston Texans Training Camp

12. Cheta Ozougwu

Houston Texans Training Camp — Ozougwu was taken in 2011 by the Texans and Houston has liked what they've seen. He's been a steady contributor on defense and the fact he still is fighting for an NFL roster spot is an extremely good sign for his career.

11. Ryan Hoag

Miami Dolphins v Jacksonville Jaguars

11. Ryan Hoag

Miami Dolphins v Jacksonville Jaguars — Hoag has gotten an opportunity in a number of places including Minnesota, Washington and Jacksonville. Most notably, Hoag was featured on the 2008 season of The Bachelorette where he gained even more notoriety.

10. Jimmy Walker

Divisional Playoffs - New Orleans Saints v Seattle Seahawks

10. Jimmy Walker

Divisional Playoffs - New Orleans Saints v Seattle Seahawks — Walker was taken by the New Orleans Saints in 1967 and actually never played a game in the NFL. What made him successful was his NBA career. He was taken with the first overall pick in the NBA draft by the Pistons that same season. From there, he went on to be an all star in Detroit.

9. Matt Elliott

Washington Redskins v New York Giants

9. Matt Elliott

Washington Redskins v New York Giants — Taken by the Redskins in 1992, Elliott got to work right away. His hard work paid off and resulted in him playing in all 16 games during his rookie season. After that, he also went on to start 32 games over three seasons with the Panthers.

8. Ramzee Robinson

Cleveland Browns 2011 Headshots

9. Ramzee Robinson

Cleveland Browns 2011 Headshots — Taken by the Lions in 2007, Robinson has bounced around the league, which shows he still has shown teams he has something left in the tank. He held down a roster spot for a while with the Broncos and is still trying to truly crack into the league.

7. Sisto Averno

Divisional Playoffs - Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots

7. Sisto Averno

Divisional Playoffs - Indianapolis Colts v New England Patriots — Averno was taken by the Baltimore Colts in 1951 and bounced around from team to team. During his playing career, he contributed on the Colts, the New York Yanks and the Dallas Texans.

6. Marty Moore

Marty Moore Patriots

6. Marty Moore

Marty Moore Patriots — Moore had an extremely long career for a Mr. Irrelevant as he played eight seasons, seven of which came with the Patriots who drafted him. Probably the best winner of all the Mr. Irrelevants, Moore has the distinction as the first ever Mr. Irrelevant to play in Super Bowl when he appeared in Super Bowl XXXI.

5. Billy Kenney

Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Minicamp

5. Billy Kenney

Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Minicamp — The Chiefs struck gold when they took Kenney with the last pick in the 1978 draft. He was steady at the position for several years and then broke out in 1983. It was in that season that he made a Pro Bowl and had one of the best single seasons ever by a Mr. Irrelevant.

4. Charlie Wade

New York Jets v Miami Dolphins

4. Charlie Wade

New York Jets v Miami Dolphins — Wade was taken by the Dolphins in 1973, but didn't make an impact until 1974 when he was with the Bears. It was in that season that he recorded the ninth most receiving yards in the NFL. He could never duplicate that success, but for someone taken when he was, he can still be considered a success.

3. David Vobora

St. Louis Rams 2011 Headshots

3. David Vobora

St. Louis Rams 2011 Headshots — Like so few Mr. Irrelevants before him, Vobora earned a starting spot in 2008. He became a starting linebacker with the St. Louis Rams and became one of the more successful defensive players ever to be taken with the last pick in the draft.

2. Jim Finn

New York Giants 2007 Headshots

2. Jim Finn

New York Giants 2007 Headshots — Finn was taken by the Bears in 1999, but didn't make an impact in Chicago. However, he had the honor of playing in the same backfields as both Peyton and Eli Manning. The fullback played in five seasons combined for the Colts and Giants, which is a long career for Mr. Irrelevant.

1. Ryan Succop

Kansas City Chiefs v San Diego Chargers

1. Ryan Succop

Kansas City Chiefs v San Diego Chargers — Taken by the Chiefs in 2009, Succop has had the biggest impact of any Mr. Irrelevant ever. Under pressure constantly, Succop has been able to turn himself into one of the better kickers in football. Even though he doesn't play a skill position, Succop is a difference maker and the best Mr. Irrelevant of all time.

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