Who is Mr. Irrelevant 2024? Meet Jaylen Key, the last pick in this year's NFL Draft

Mr. Irrelevant is far from it.

The NFL Draft can be a drag on Day 3, with four rounds that wrap up over 15 hours worth of selections during the week. While the success rate isn't great, being one of 2024's 257 picks — even if you are the last — shouldn't go unrecognized.

After all, Mr. Irrelevant still earns entry into the NFL's exclusive club.

Each year, the last pick results in plenty of laughs as the "irrelevant" label typically comes true in short order. However, no one was laughing when 2022's Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, led the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl in back-to-back years.

He hasn't finished his climb to the top of the mountain, but by Mr. Irrelevant standards, Purdy is already up above the clouds. 

It's a sign that every pick has the chance to shine, even if the label disagrees. Here is everything you need to know about Jaylen Key and the history of the NFL Draft's most famous draft slot.

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Who is Mr. Irrelevant 2024?

Jaylen Key is Mr. Irrelevant in 2024.

The safety played five seasons of college ball, with the first four coming at UAB before transferring to Alabama for his senior season. He was a starter for the Crimson Tide in 2023 and the 6-1, 208-pounder possesses plenty of the physical skills necessary for success.

Here's a look at some of Key's 2023 highlights:

Like most players drafted in the later rounds, Key will need time to develop, but he has a real chance of making a Jets roster that needed safety help. On the current roster, only Tony Adams and Ashtyn Davis saw real playing time for New York last year. With Chuck Clark is coming off a torn ACL, it's unclear what kind of production the team should expect from the former Raven.

Thanks to that lack of depth, Key will have every chance to earn a roster spot. Regardless, expect Key to at least play a role on special teams.

What is Mr. Irrelevant?

The final pick in the NFL Draft is known as "Mr. Irrelevant."

While no one expects the player selected in that position to become a future star, they do begin their careers like every other rookie taken ahead of them — with a blank slate. The tradition first began in 1976 when former 49ers and Colts receiver Paul Salata created a series of events known as "Irrelevant Week."

The idea was to celebrate the final pick of the draft. 

Dayton wide receiver Kelvin Kirk became the first Mr. Irrelevant in NFL Draft history after he was taken by the Steelers with the 487th pick of the 17-round 1976 NFL Draft. It's a tradition the league has carried on ever since, with Salata announcing the pick every year until 2013. His daughter has since taken over the duty of announcing the selection, which typically comes with plenty of fanfare to close out the NFL's marquee offseason event.

"Irrelevant Week" is held yearly in Newport Beach, Calif. The new Mr. Irrelevant and his family get to spend a week there while touring Disneyland, attending media availabilities, and participating in a roast during which advice is given to the new draftee, among other activities.

“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 via the Mr. Irrelevant 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.”

MORE: Where Brock Purdy ranks among the Mr. Irrelevant quarterbacks

Mr. Irrelevant history

Kelvin Kirk was the first Mr. Irrelevant ever selected. Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, and the 49ers quarterback is one of the best to date. Purdy has managed to lead the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl appearance in his two seasons as the starter for San Francisco. 

The full list of the Mr. Irrelevant selections since the honor was first given in 1976: