The draft for the upcoming 2026 season concluded on Saturday, April 25, in Pittsburgh with the 257th selection — a selection that has, over the years, earned the honors of having the nickname, "Mr. Irrelevant."
Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park.
1 / 12Fashion and football meet in Pittsburgh on the NFL draft red carpetNotre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish running back Jeremiyah Love poses on the red carpet before the 2026 NFL Draft at Point State Park.
San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy has given the name more relevance with his play in the NFL, despite being the last pick of the 2022 draft. Ryan Succop (2009) and Marty Moore (1994) are two more notable names to earn the nickname, with Moore the first Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl, as well.
Here's what you need to know about who Mr. Irrelevant is from the 2026 NFL Draft and more:
Mr. Irrelevant 2026 is Buffalo linebacker Red Murdock, who was selected with the 257th and final pick of the draft by the Denver Broncos. Murdock ranked second in the nation with 142 tackles and led the Bulls with a team-best 13.5 tackles for loss on top of five sacks and six forced fumbles in 2025, earning second-team All-America selection by Walter Camp, the AP and the FWAA.
He stands at nearly 6 feet, 2 inches tall and is 232 pounds.
The term "Mr. Irrelevant" is given the name of the last player taken in the NFL draft in a given year. Despite how it sounds, the name is not a derision, but a positive spin on the pick.
The nickname was first introduced by former USC receiver and NFL draftee Paul Salata, who handed the nickname to Kelvin Kirk in the 1976 NFL Draft, after the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Dayton wide receiver with the last pick of the draft.
Salata played collegiately for Southern California ahead of a playing career for the AAFC/NFL's San Francisco 49ers in 1949-1950 and 1950 for the Baltimore Colts. After the Colts franchise folded, he was selected in the 10th round of the 1951 draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, after being deemed eligible for the draft.
"We established Irrelevant Week to drive home an important message — that it’s not a negative to be picked last in the NFL Draft; rather, it’s an honor to be drafted at all,” Salata said on the organization's website. “The last draft pick’s demonstration of perseverance is a lesson that resonates not only with NFL players and fans but also with people everywhere.”
Mr. Irrelevant refers only to the last selection of the NFL draft in a given year, not any specific number. That's because the number of picks in a given draft varies from year to year based on compensatory picks awarded to teams.
For example, Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson was Mr. Irrelevant in 2023 and went No. 259. Purdy was picked No. 262 in 2022, while Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Grant Stuard went with pick No. 259 in 2021 and New York Giants linebacker Tae Crowder went No. 255 in 2020.
Mr. Irrelevant will go with Pick No. 257 in 2026, marking the third straight year of the same number for the pick.
Here's a look at every Mr. Irrelevant since the inception of the nickname in 1976:
1976, Pick 487: Kelvin Kirk, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dayton
1977, Pick 335: Jim Kelleher, RB, Minnesota Vikings, Colorado
1978, Pick 334: Lee Washburn, G, Dallas Cowboys, Montana State
1979, Pick 330: Mike Almond, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers, Northwestern State