Who was Mr Irrelevant 2024? Alabama's Jaylen Key selected with final pick of 2024 NFL Draft

Oddly enough, perhaps the most notable pick on the third and final day of the NFL draft has become the final one.

The last pick of the seventh round of the NFL draft is annually one of the most anticipated selections of the draft, with the player taken in that spot even earning his own nickname: Mr. Irrelevant.

It comes with more than just a moniker. Whoever becomes Mr. Irrelevant earns a week-long trip to Newport Beach, California, where they get a visit to Disneyland, play in a golf tournament, are the subject of a roast and are presented with what’s known as the Lowsman Trophy, which is modeled after the Heisman Trophy, but features a player fumbling the ball.

In recent years, the designation has taken on a greater importance, interest and significance after Iowa State’s Brock Purdy was selected with the No. 262 overall and final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft. Since then, Purdy has become the starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers, led them to consecutive NFC championship games and helped guide them to Super Bowl LVIII, where they lost in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs.

REQUIRED READING: Mr. Irrelevant list: Who will join Brock Purdy as last pick in NFL draft?

Purdy’s early success in the NFL has not only already made him the most famous Mr. Irrelevant, but it has turned a pick that was something of a joke for decades into one of genuine intrigue. Is the person being taken with the draft’s final selection someone who could make a similar impact to Purdy?

What does that mean for the 2024 NFL Draft as festivities wind down Saturday in Detroit?

Here’s a look at 2024’s Mr. Irrelevant:

Who was Mr. Irrelevant 2024?

In the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the New York Jets selected Alabama safety Jaylen Key with the No. 257 overall pick, making him this year’s Mr. Irrelevant.

Key played his first four college seasons at UAB, where he was an honorable mention all-Conference USA selection in 2022.

From there, the Quincy, Florida native transferred to Alabama, where he earned a starting spot for the Crimson Tide in what would be legendary coach Nick Saban’s final season at the helm. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Key finished the season with 60 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass break-up and an interception. He was a part of the nation’s No. 16 scoring defense, one that helped lead the Crimson Tide to the College Football Playoff, where it lost to eventual national champion Michigan.

He was the sixth defensive player from Alabama drafted in 2024.

Key becomes the second Mr. Irrelevant ever from Alabama, joining cornerback Ramzee Robinson, who was the No. 255 and final pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Given that, there’s a bit of symmetry with the Tide’s place in Mr. Irrelevant lore. The final pick of the draft before Saban’s first season in Tuscaloosa and the final pick of the draft after his retirement were both from Alabama.

REQUIRED READING: Mr. Irrelevant: Alabama safety Jaylen Key joins Brock Purdy as last pick in NFL draft

Who came up with the term Mr. Irrelevant?

The term by which the final pick of every NFL draft is now known was first coined by Paul Salata, a former wide receiver who played at USC collegiately and with the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Colts in the NFL.

Salata came up with the idea for Mr. Irrelevant in 1976. After getting the necessary approval from NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Salata raised money to fly the final pick of the draft — that year, it was Kelvin Kirk of the Pittsburgh Steelers — to Newport Beach for a week of festivities.

Though the title “Mr. Irrelevant” could be construed as an insult, Salata meant for it to be an honor and a moment of publicity for someone whose realization of a hard-earned, lifelong dream might otherwise be overlooked.

"Everyone who is drafted works hard, and some of them don’t get any recognition," Salata said to The New York Times in 2017. "They do their work and should be noticed."

Sometimes, those players even go on to successful NFL careers. Earlier this year, Purdy became the third Mr. Irrelevant to appear in a Super Bowl and each of the past 11 Mr. Irrelevants heading into this season have played in an NFL game.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Who was Mr Irrelevant 2024? Jaylen Key selected with final pick of NFL draft