Football is a game of attrition, a battle won and lost in the trenches.
No quarterback can perform without an offensive line to protect him, and a high-powered pass rush can force opponents into debilitating mistakes. The Philadelphia Eagles proved as much with their Super Bowl victory; their championship run was powered, as much as any individual skill position player, by the fact that they ranked in the league’s top six in both run blocking and pass blocking. Saquon Barkley couldn’t have rushed for 2,500 yards without his offensive line.
It’s not a surprise, then, that both defensive line and offensive line rank as the most likely positions to be selected with the final pick in the Draft — currently held by the Kansas City Chiefs — the best proxy of any for a need-blind estimation of what teams value in their team-building processes.
Bet on 2025 NFL Draft specials at DraftKings Sportsbook, including Mr. Irrelevant, here.
What position will Mr. Irrelevant play?
Given how many players will be selected in the draft, it’s not likely that Mr. Irrelevant will be known by the general public before draft day, and teams center their draft boards around their first selection, not their last one. While most teams will use all 10 minutes available in the first round to ponder possible prospects, they won’t necessarily use all four available in the seventh. Only 10-15% of seventh-round picks actually start their rookie seasons on the 53-man roster, much less actually taking the field, so teams don’t draft for need with Mr. Irrelevant.
The most famous Mr. Irrelevant currently playing in the league is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, but success stories like Purdy’s are rare. This season’s Mr. Irrelevant almost certainly won’t be a quarterback unless Kansas City trades the pick, given that the Chiefs have two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes on their roster.
Mathematically, either line position is more likely, since teams typically keep either nine or 10 offensive and defensive linemen on their 53-man roster, along with five or six wideouts. Of the two sides of the trench, I think Brett Veach is going to prioritize the offensive line (+400).
The logic is simple: Kansas City’s most important player is Mahomes. He needs to be protected better than he was during the Super Bowl, and the Chiefs ranked just 17th by Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking grades last season. Whether or not Mr. Irrelevant eventually becomes an impact player, picking an offensive lineman gives Kansas City its best bet.
