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If you are the penultimate pick of the NFL Draft, you are just another pick.
But if you are drafted immediately after that, you are a celebrity.
Such is the life for “Mr. Irrelevant,” the nickname given to every player chosen with the final pick in each NFL Draft since 1976.
In 2021, that nickname was bestowed upon Grant Stuard, the 259th and final pick in that year’s NFL Draft. The linebacker from the University of Houston was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
While not every Mr. Irrelevant ends up making an impact in the NFL, Stuard was an exception as a rookie. He played in all 17 games for the Bucs, splitting his time between defense and special teams. He racked up 15 tackles (eight solo) and one forced fumble.
And while every Mr. Irrelevant is fêted during a week-long celebration in their honor in Southern California, not all of them get to star in their own commercial. Stuard, again, was an exception.