When the 49ers play host to the Buccaneers this Sunday, they'll also kick off one of the most intriguing quarterback battles of Week 14. On one side: 45-year-old Tom Brady, the most accomplished signal-caller in NFL history, fresh off a historic prime-time comeback win over the Saints. On the other: 22-year-old Brock Purdy, who just replaced Jimmy Garoppolo (who was, in turn, replacing Trey Lance) and will be making his first career start as a rookie.
Purdy's presence in the lineup is even more notable because of where he was drafted this April: last. Literally. As the 262nd overall pick rounding out the seventh round, Purdy is this year's Mr. Irrelevant, a title bestowed upon the final player off the board. First coined in 1976 but technically documented since the draft's inception in 1936, the Mr. Irrelevant nickname has followed dozens of NFL hopefuls over the decades.
With a strong run as the 49ers QB, and maybe even a surprise playoff run, Purdy has a chance to quickly become one of the greatest Mr. Irrelevants to ever take the field. And get this: one of the best to ever do it will also be on the field for the 49ers game Sunday, playing for the Buccaneers. Here's a look at five of the most relevant Mr. Irrelevants in NFL history:
5. Marty Moore (1994)Drafted: No. 222 overall | Team: Patriots | College: Kentucky
The first Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl, Moore spent eight seasons as a linebacker -- seven with the Patriots, and one with the Browns. Though he only made 19 career starts, posting his best numbers (90 tackles, four pass deflections, one INT) in Cleveland, he carved out a role on special teams with the Pats, earning jobs under Bill Parcells, Pete Carroll and Bill Belichick. Logging two picks in limited snaps during Carroll's first year as head coach, he got a ring for the club's 2001 championship upset of the "Greatest Show on Turf" Rams.
4. Jim Finn (1999)Drafted: No. 253 overall | Team: Bears | College: Pennsylvania
Finn didn't take a snap as a rookie, spending part of his first year on the Bears' practice squad. After that, however, he clawed his way onto the Colts, who were fresh off a 13-3 breakout, and managed eight straight years as an active fullback. A dump-off option for Peyton Manning, sharing a backfield with Edgerrin James, he saw his best production alongside Peyton's brother, Eli, with the Giants (2003-2007). In New York, Finn topped 100 receiving yards twice, helped block for All-Pro Tiki Barber, and got a ring when the G-Men upset the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII.
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Drafted: No. 300 overall | Team: Cardinals | College: Notre Dame
An esteemed guard for College Football Hall of Fame coach Frank Leahy at Notre Dame, Fischer returned to school after the Cardinals drafted him following his junior year, then officially kicked off his NFL career a year later, when the Cardinals drafted him again -- this time 10th overall. The big man started 48 games over five seasons, primarily at left tackle, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to earn a Pro Bowl nod (he finished with three). While also logging an occasional snap on defense, Fischer finished his brief but sterling career with an interception and a whopping 10 fumble recoveries.
2. Jacque MacKinnon (1961)Drafted: No. 280 overall | Team: Eagles | College: Colgate
Like Fischer, he had an unusual way of finding Mr. Irrelevant stardom. Despite the Eagles taking him at the end of the 1961 draft, the fullback/tight end instead fled for the West Coast, signing with the AFL's San Diego Chargers. He spent the next nine years starring under Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman, deployed as both a runner and receiver in two-tight end sets. An athletic threat ahead of his time, MacKinnon totaled almost 2,500 yards from scrimmage for his career, notably logging 33 catches for 646 yards and six touchdowns at age 30, in 1968. The bruiser also spent a single season with the Raiders (1970), just as the AFL merged with the NFL, leaving the game having appeared in four different AFL championships, and winning one.
Drafted: No. 256 overall | Team: Chiefs | College: South Carolina
Of all the Mr. Irrelevants, none have made such a consistent impact over such a long period of time. One of only two kickers selected in 2009, Succop showed off his leg early, setting the Chiefs' rookie record for field goals (25) and tying an NFL record for rookie field-goal percentage (86.2). After five years in Kansas City, he spent six with the Titans, three times eclipsing 100 points on the year. With the Buccaneers since 2020, he broke a franchise record for single-season points (136) as part of the club's Super Bowl championship team. And at 36, he's still got it, entering Week 14 currently 24 of 27 on field goals for Tampa Bay. In his 14th season, he ranks in the top 35 among all-time kickers in both points (1,400+) and field-goal percentage (83.5%), ahead of big-name Pro Bowlers like Mark Moseley, Neil Rackers and Billy Cundiff.
A look at every Mr. IrrelevantNow that we've ranked the top five, here's a look at the history of Mr. Irrelevants since the term was first coined in 1976. Purdy, out of Iowa State, was taken in 2022 with 262nd pick by the 49ers.
2021 259 Grant Stuard Buccaneers LB Houston 2020 255 Tae Crowder Giants LB Georgia 2019 254 Caleb Wilson Cardinals TE UCLA 2018 256 Trey Quinn Commanders WR SMU 2017 253 Chad Kelly Broncos QB Ole Miss 2016 253 Kalan Reed Titans CB Southern Miss 2015 256 Gerald Christian Cardinals TE Louisville 2014 256 Lonnie Ballentine Texans S Memphis 2013 254 Justice Cunningham Colts TE South Carolina 2012 253 Chandler Harnish Colts QB NIU 2011 254 Cheta Ozougwu Texans DE Rice 2010 255 Tim Toone Lions WR Weber State 2009 256 Ryan Succop Chiefs K South Carolina 2008 252 David Vobora Rams OLB Idaho 2007 255 Ramzee Robinson Lions CB Alabama 2006 255 Kevin McMahan Raiders WR Maine 2005 255 Andy Stokes Patriots TE William Penn 2004 255 Andre Sommersell Raiders LB Colorado State 2003 262 Ryan Hoag Raiders WR Gustavus Adolphus 2002 261 Ahmad Miller Texans DT UNLV 2001 246 Tevita Ofahengaue Cardinals TE Brigham Young 2000 254 Michael Green Bears DB Northwestern State 1999 253 Jim Finn Bears RB Pennsylvania 1998 241 Cam Quayle Ravens TE Weber State 1997 240 Ronnie McAda Packers QB Army 1996 254 Sam Manuel 49ers LB New Mexico State 1995 249 Michael Reed Panthers DB Boston College 1994 222 Marty Moore Patriots LB Kentucky 1993 224 Daron Alcorn Buccaneers K Akron 1992 336 Matt Elliott Commanders C Michigan 1991 334 Larry Wanke Giants QB John Carroll 1990 331 Demetrius Davis Raiders TE Nevada 1989 335 Everett Ross Vikings WR Ohio State 1988
