The Patriots selected linebacker Marty Moore out of Kentucky with the last pick in the 1994 Draft. He “earned” the title of Mr. Irrelevant that Draft but proved to be anything but irrelevant during his seven years in New England.
Moore became the first Mr. Irrelevant to be a rookie starter in the season opener. He played all 16 games in each of his first four years. Before his NFL career ended, he played in 112 games and retired after the 2001 season. He was the first Mr. Irrelevant to receive a Super Bowl ring when the Patriots defeated the Rams in Super Bowl XXXVI.
Moore was excited this past weekend when the Patriots again had the last draft pick and chose defensive back Kobee Minor out of the University of Memphis. It was the first time since 2005 that the Patriots drafted last.
“First off, congratulations to him on just getting drafted,” Moore told the Boston Globe. “That’s the most important thing. The next thing? Wear that badge with some honor. The people in Boston will love you if you do that. People will root for him. Embrace it. It’s tough enough to get drafted these days, especially with the level of competitiveness out there. And it increases tenfold every year, with the offseason workouts and everything else that has gone into the game since I retired.”
The Mr. Irrelevant Award was started in 1976 by the late Paul Salata, an NFL alum who played for the 49ers and Colts in 1949-50. He became a successful businessman in southern California but wanted to give something back to the league. He tried to receive league office support for his program but some in NFL headquarters thought the concept was undignified. However, Salata made a direct pitch to then-Commissioner Pete Rozelle who had a better sense of humor than his employees. Mr. Irrelevant received the league’s blessing, if not its financial backing. The weeklong celebration in Newport Beach (CA) still includes a banquet, a trip to Disneyland among other events, and a “Lowsman Trophy” that shows the player fumbling the ball atop a base.
“We established Irrelevant Week to drive home an important message,” Salata said years later. “The message is that its not negative to be picked last in the NFL Draft. Rather, its an honor to be drafted at all. 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.”
Minor, who played at Texas Tech and Indiana before having his best season in Memphis in 2024, sounds as if he already has embraced his unique distinction.
“The Patriots are going to get a hard worker,” says the Dallas native. “I’m a guy that does everything right on and off the field. The team is getting a good football player and a better person.”
If Kobee Minor is as successful on the field in New England as Marty Moore and accepts his Mr. Irrelevant status, he will be a fan favorite in Foxboro for many years.
