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Los Angeles Times
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Kobee Minor, the 50th Mr. Irrelevant, celebrated as part of a special fraternity
Kobee Minor's first look at Orange County's coast reminded him of Netflix's shoreline-set, teen-drama series 'Outer Banks.' That's the closest he'd ever been to an actual beach. Five days on the bay, in the surf, among those whose journey mirrors his own, and Newport Beach is now like a home away from home for the new Patriot. The 50th Mr. Irrelevant. who hails from a town 35 miles northwest of Dallas, now understands what it means to enjoy five days on the bay and in the surf among others whose journey mirrors his own. Minor this week joined a 'brotherhood' he hadn't known existed, couldn't have aspired to and now cherishes. He's been steeped in the traditions of pro football's most whimsical culture, joining a band of others chosen with the last pick of five decades of National Football League drafts and the family tethered to it. Irrelevant Week's mission — to fête somebody who wouldn't normally be celebrated just for the joy of it — and the amiably casual approach to maneuvering through it hasn't veered through its evolution from let's-try-this to a celebrated moment on the NFL's calendar. It's a bit of fun before the real business begins. That's what Newport Beach's Paul Salata, who played for USC in the NFL in the late 1940s and early '50s, was seeking when in 1976 he introduced Irrelevant Week, whether he fully realized it or not. It's what Melanie Fitch, Salata's daughter, has embraced in her 30-year stewardship of Mr. Irrelevant celebration. In an increasingly corporate sports landscape, Salata's (and now Fitch's) week-long (or thereabouts) parties are something else, something more meaningful. 'I had no idea,' Andy Stokes, one of nearly two dozen Mr. Irrelevants present for Minor's coronation, said of the event. 'I was just a kid trying to play football. This stays with you your whole life. It's a brotherhood. It's a club. You get a built-in community for the rest of your life.' There's a bit of teasing going on here, in celebration of the 'last,' and a celebration of the achievement, with rewards: for Minor, the key to the city, proclamations, a Newport Beach Police Department badge, personalized longboard, and, at Friday night's marquee banquet, the humorous Lowsman Trophy, its football player depicted fumbling the ball. New England gave Minor his ticket, making a seventh-round trade with the Kansas City Chiefs for two picks and using the latter — No. 257 in the draft — to snare the defensive back from the University of Memphis. He spent his five days here mostly garbed in a Patriots jersey with 257 on the front and getting a taste of Balboa life. He sailed in the weekly Beercans series on Balboa Bay, surfed off 30th Street under inaugural world champion P.T. Townend's tutelage (with a minute-long run judged a 6, highest of Irrelevant scores), took a restaurant crawl along the peninsula, worshiped at Mariners Church and spent a day at Disneyland. 'Everybody's been amazing,' Minor said. That's Salata's doing. He concocted Mr. Irrelevant, Fitch said, 'like a spur-of-the-moment idea' to 'do something nice for someone for no reason.' It was never meant to last forever, but it might. 'Fifty years is a long time,' said Fitch, who took charge of the Irrelevant Week organization in 1995. 'When it started, I was younger than Mr. Irrelevant. Then I was Mr. Irrelevant's age. Then I was the age of his mom. Now I'm the age of his grandma. It's been a good run. 'We still really enjoy the idea of celebrating the underdog and celebrating the last player drafted. We think that he should be recognized just like the first player drafted, because it's an honor to be drafted at all.' There have been 14,156 players drafted over these 50 years. Some 14,106 of them aren't 'Irrelevant.' It's 'truly a fraternity,' says 2006 Raiders selection Kevin McMahan. It's one that has, according to 1977 Vikings pick Jim Kelleher, 'become such a significant part of life.' Salata, who died a day shy of his 95th birthday in 2021, is warmly remembered within the fraternity. 'Paul was the OG,' said Ryan Hoag, a 2003 Oakland Raiders pick who parlayed his success into a stint on reality television show 'The Bachelorette' and now is a pregame analyst for the team. 'He was one of those guys that everybody kind of wanted to be around. 'He didn't say a ton, but when he did, it spoke volumes. He was quick-witted. He was always cracking jokes. And he was just somebody that genuinely had the utmost respect for everybody and the biggest heart and just wanted to help people for no reason at all. It's rare if you come across one of those people in your life, let alone a Paul Salata.' Kelleher, the second Mr. Irrelevant, called Salata 'unlike anybody I had ever met.' 'I was just in awe, the way he interacts with people, his sense of humor,' he said. 'And then what he's done, his vision of this. I can't speak for him, but something tells me that what Melanie's done and where Irrelevant Week is, here, 50 years later, is what he wanted. ''Just doing something nice for somebody for no reason.' How good of a mantra is that for our country, for our world, for us all? It was a gift. We're all blessed.' Fitch this year joined her father as chief beneficiary of the Orange County Youth Sports Foundation's Person of the Year, an honor she rebuked from the Lowsman Banquet stage, quickly shifting the attention back to the event. 'I didn't know, I would have stopped it,' she said. 'Maybe that's why they didn't tell me. I like to be under the radar. I like to do a lot of nice things for people, but I don't want my name in the deal. I just want it to be a super time and super experience.' She marshals a loosely organized, amiably casual team heavy on family members while steering from the behind, slipping in and out of the spotlight as needed, her constant, wry chatter a treasured soundtrack to the proceedings. Everyone's welcomed as 'family' — that was Salata's way, and like father, like daughter. The 'fraternity' is constructed upon that foundation. Hoag, who has returned to Irrelevant Week '10 or 11 times,' calls the relationship 'special ... like family' and says his week, 22 years ago, 'probably usurps every moment of my life.' 'This is pretty much at the top,' he said. 'Having a full week dedicated to you, and they tailor anything and everything you've ever imagined. I mean, it's like finding a genie's lamp and having unlimited wishes.' He'd known nothing of the tradition until a friend called him 'Mr. Irrelevant' as they saw his name called on television. 'I heard you get a trip to Hawaii and a million dollars, and that sounded pretty good, let me tell you,' he said. 'It turned out it wasn't, but, honestly, I wouldn't trade my experience of that week and the subsequent 22 years for a million dollars.' It's all for charity, and the Lowsman Banquet, the business end of the festivities, raised about $150,000, Fitch estimated, for the OCYSF. Many of the Mr. Irrelevants returning this year for the first time, all of them except 2020 New York Giants pick Tae Crowder, whose party was canceled by COVID, carried tales of their weeks: the single Hoag's 'Miss Irrelevant' pageant, Kelleher accompanying Salata in his morning duties, 2005 Patriots pick Stokes' hit-and-run after coach Bill Belichick limited his trip to one day, 1992 Redskins pick Matt Elliott getting tossed from his hotel room bed by the Landers/Big Bear earthquakes. Minor's experience — the adventures, sure, but more so the camaraderie with those who preceded him most of all — 'really opened my eyes,' he said. 'Just realizing this is actually a big event, and it's bigger than all of us. Just fellowshiping with everybody has been amazing. 'Man, I can't thank this family enough. They didn't have to do this, man. They're doing something nice for somebody for literally no reason. So hat's off to them and their family, making me a part of their family.' Minor dreamed from childhood of playing football or basketball professionally — 'basketball didn't work out; I'm not that tall,' said the 6-footer — and started to believe it could happen when he got his first college offers at Lake Dallas High School in Cornith, Texas, near Denton. He was a three-star defensive back in high school, where the elite get five stars. He had (as he noted in his post-draft press conference) 'never been a highly recruited guy ... never been one of the top guys,' and hadn't had a satisfactory four years at Texas Tech, where he saw special-teams duty, and Indiana, where he was 'let go' after a season. Minor made an impact after portaling to Memphis, contributing 38 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, six passes defended and two fumble recoveries as the Tigers went 11-2 with a Frisco Bowl win over West Virginia just across Lake Lewisville from home. His dad told him he was Mr. Irrelevant. '[Being 'Irrelevant' is] kind of normal to me, because I've always been an underdog, you feel me?' he said. 'Just getting that call and knowing that I'm Mr. Irrelevant, the last pick of the draft, it kind of just adds fuel to my fire.' He stepped into the Patriots' June minicamp and began to 'pick up on the small things I need to fix in my game and trying to focus on my technique and stuff like that, do whatever I can to earn a role on the team and whatever I can to help out.' He's not a certainty. Half of Mr. Irrelevants to date never saw action in an NFL regular-season game, only six have played in more than 50, and just 15 in 10 or more. Four others are on current NFL rosters (49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, Rams defensive end Desjuan Johnson, Lions linebacker Grant Stuard, and 2024 honoree Jaylen Key, a Bengals safety). Another, quarterback Chad Kelly, plays in the Canadian league, and three-year Giants starter Crowder is 'trying to get back into the NFL' after a season in the second-tier United Football League. 'I've got to just go out there and prove that I'm a dog,' Minor said. 'And not just prove to them, but prove to myself that I'm capable of playing in the National Football League.' The support he's found the past few days has made that all the more important. 'Now I know I've got a couple hundred more people that's rooting for me,' he said. 'I can't let them down, so I've got to go back and work.'
CNN
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
New England Patriots make Kobee Minor this year's ‘Mr. Irrelevant'
With the 257th and final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected cornerback Kobee Minor from the University of Memphis. As the last player selected in the draft, Minor joins one of the most unique fraternities in sports and becomes the newest man to earn the nickname 'Mr. Irrelevant.' 'I love it. I've never been a highly recruited guy. I've never been one of the top guys so really this isn't anything new to me,' Minor said on a video call shortly after being drafted by the Patriots. 'I am just going to go out here and do what I got to do, put my head down and grind like I always been.' A fifth-year senior, Minor finished his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers after initially playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Indiana Hoosiers. Last season, Minor has 38 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections for the Tigers. While the final pick in the draft doesn't always enjoy great success on the field, there are plenty of other perks that come with the dubious honor. In 1976, the late Paul Salata, who himself had been a 10th round draft pick in 1951, decided that he wanted to give the last draft pick something to smile about. He invited the 487th pick Kelvin Kirk to Newport Beach in California and the concept of 'Mr Irrelevant' was born. It's since become one of the most endearing concepts in sports. The event known as 'Irrelevant Week' is now run by Salata's daughter, Melanie Salata-Fitch, who was in Green Bay to announce Minor's selection on Saturday. Salata-Finch told CNN that planning for the week begins from backstage as soon as the draft is over. Irrelevant Week takes place in Newport Beach, featuring a parade in honor of the draftee, a 'roast and toast' dinner and a golf tournament. The festivities are tailored to each athlete, and they are encouraged to submit a wish list. There are VIP trips to Disneyland and the Playboy Mansion, players have met celebrities like Will Farrell and Jimmy Kimmel and driven the cars of their dreams. At the end of the week, the players leave Newport Beach with more than just fond memories. Stuffed into their luggage is the Lowsman Trophy, a tongue in cheek reference to the Heisman Trophy given to the best NCAA player every season. The player on the trophy is depicted fumbling the ball. But occasionally Mr. Irrelevant has found success on the football field. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, had an immediate impact for the 49ers. In his rookie season, he was pressed into the starting role due to injuries and engineered a five-game winning streak that was instrumental in the team's run the NFC Championship game that year. The next season, Purdy earned the starting quarterback role and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance, where the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. Another notable Mr. Irrelevant was kicker Ryan Succop, the final pick in the 2009 draft by the Chiefs. Succop went on the enjoy a 14-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Following his selection, Minor posted on his Instagram story, 'Mr. Irrelevant. I'll take it.' Time will tell what awaits for Minor in his NFL career, but it's sure to be an exciting ride for the Dallas, Texas, native.
CNN
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
New England Patriots make Kobee Minor this year's ‘Mr. Irrelevant'
With the 257th and final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, the New England Patriots selected cornerback Kobee Minor from the University of Memphis. As the last player selected in the draft, Minor joins one of the most unique fraternities in sports and becomes the newest man to earn the nickname 'Mr. Irrelevant.' 'I love it. I've never been a highly recruited guy. I've never been one of the top guys so really this isn't anything new to me,' Minor said on a video call shortly after being drafted by the Patriots. 'I am just going to go out here and do what I got to do, put my head down and grind like I always been.' A fifth-year senior, Minor finished his collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers after initially playing for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Indiana Hoosiers. Last season, Minor has 38 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections for the Tigers. While the final pick in the draft doesn't always enjoy great success on the field, there are plenty of other perks that come with the dubious honor. In 1976, the late Paul Salata, who himself had been a 10th round draft pick in 1951, decided that he wanted to give the last draft pick something to smile about. He invited the 487th pick Kelvin Kirk to Newport Beach in California and the concept of 'Mr Irrelevant' was born. It's since become one of the most endearing concepts in sports. The event known as 'Irrelevant Week' is now run by Salata's daughter, Melanie Salata-Fitch, who was in Green Bay to announce Minor's selection on Saturday. Salata-Finch told CNN that planning for the week begins from backstage as soon as the draft is over. Irrelevant Week takes place in Newport Beach, featuring a parade in honor of the draftee, a 'roast and toast' dinner and a golf tournament. The festivities are tailored to each athlete, and they are encouraged to submit a wish list. There are VIP trips to Disneyland and the Playboy Mansion, players have met celebrities like Will Farrell and Jimmy Kimmel and driven the cars of their dreams. At the end of the week, the players leave Newport Beach with more than just fond memories. Stuffed into their luggage is the Lowsman Trophy, a tongue in cheek reference to the Heisman Trophy given to the best NCAA player every season. The player on the trophy is depicted fumbling the ball. But occasionally Mr. Irrelevant has found success on the football field. San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy, Mr. Irrelevant in 2022, had an immediate impact for the 49ers. In his rookie season, he was pressed into the starting role due to injuries and engineered a five-game winning streak that was instrumental in the team's run the NFC Championship game that year. The next season, Purdy earned the starting quarterback role and led the team to a Super Bowl appearance, where the 49ers lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime. Another notable Mr. Irrelevant was kicker Ryan Succop, the final pick in the 2009 draft by the Chiefs. Succop went on the enjoy a 14-year NFL career, winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021. Following his selection, Minor posted on his Instagram story, 'Mr. Irrelevant. I'll take it.' Time will tell what awaits for Minor in his NFL career, but it's sure to be an exciting ride for the Dallas, Texas, native.
Boston Globe
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
‘I love it:' Meet Mr. Irrelevant Kobee Minor, the final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft and the newest Patriot
Nobody had a longer wait to hear their name called than Minor, who finally went at No. 257 to New England on Saturday. Advertisement 'It's just a blessing,' Minor said. 'I've been waiting all day, I didn't know if I was going to get the call or not, and I ended up waiting to the last pick and ended up getting that call. My heart was racing ... so I'm thankful.' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Kobee Minor (center, in air) transferred from Texas Tech to Indiana to Memphis. Darron Cummings/Associated Press Minor has bounced around quite a bit, both on the field and off of it. He started his college career at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana and later finishing his college career at Memphis. He started out as a safety at Texas Tech, moved to corner, and his played all over the secondary. 'I would say I tackle very well, I can come up in run support,' Minor said. 'I'd say I'm a technician, I can play man coverage, and I feel like I'm versatile on the back end, I can play whatever DB position or help out on special teams, whatever I need to do to help the team out.' Advertisement In 11 games last season, the 6-foot, 190-pound cornerback recorded 38 tackles, including seven for loss, and forced two fumbles. The Patriots have franchise cornerstone Christian Gonzalez leading their cornerback room but have struggled to find depth at the position. The Patriots selected Mr. Irrelevant for the third time in franchise history. The Patriots previously drafted Mr. Irrelevant in 1994 (Marty Moore) and 2005 (Andy Stokes). Moore, a special teamer, went on to become the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in the Super Bowl, when he competed in Super Bowl XXXI. What is Mr. Irrelevant and Irrelevant Week? The title of Mr. Irrelevant was created when former USC and one-time pro football player Paul Salata decided in 1976 he wanted to honor the last pick in the NFL Draft. Salata had been a 10th round pick as a receiver in 1951, and 15 years later, 'Mr. Irrelevant' and 'Irrelevant Week' were born when Salata invited 487th pick Kelvin Kirk to celebrate with him in Newport Beach in California. To this day, Irrelevant Week takes place in Newport Beach, California, featuring a parade in honor of the draftee, a 'roast and toast' dinner, and a golf tournament. The invited athlete is encouraged to submit a list of activities they want to include in their special celebration. At the conclusion of the festivities, the player receives the Lowsman Trophy, a nod to the NCAA's Heisman Trophy — though Mr. Irrelevant receives a prize that depicts him fumbling the ball. Advertisement The Patriots have drafted Mr. Irrelevant three times: in 1994 (Marty Moore), 2005 (Andy Stokes), and now 2025 (Kobee Minor). Moore, a special teamer, went on to become the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in the Super Bowl, when he competed in Super Bowl XXXI. Amin Touri can be reached at
USA Today
26-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Who was Mr. Irrelevant 2025? Patriots take Kobee Minor with final pick of NFL draft
Who was Mr. Irrelevant 2025? Patriots take Kobee Minor with final pick of NFL draft Show Caption Hide Caption Browns GM Andrew Berry on why they drafted Shedeur Sanders Despite already drafting Dillon Gabriel to an already crowded Browns QB room, GM Andrew Berry explains why they couldn't pass up Shedeur Sander in the fifth round. Sports Pulse The NFL draft is finally in the books. And with that, came one of the NFL's draft's most looked forward to traditions of recent years on Saturday at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin: Mr. Irrelevant. The New England Patriots gave the title and honor to Memphis cornerback Kobee Minor with the No. 257 overall pick of the seventh round in the 2025 NFL Draft on Saturday. REQUIRED READING: What is Mr. Irrelevant? Explaining the NFL draft nickname for final pick In recent years, the nickname Mr. Irrelevant has garnered perhaps more attention and hype after 2022 Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in just his second season in 2023. It is also a nickname that adds another "underdog" to the NFL sphere, a type of player that NFL fans are accustomed to falling in love with. Here's what you need to know about who is Mr. Irrelevant from the 2025 NFL Draft and more: Who was Mr. Irrelevant 2025 from NFL draft? Mr. Irrelevant 2025 is none other than Minor, who was taken by the Patriots with the final pick of the NFL draft. Minor spent the first three years of his college career at Texas Tech before transferring to Indiana in 2023. He then transferred to Memphis in 2024, appearing in 11 games and registering 38 tackles, according to his player bio. He also had seven tackles for loss, two sacks, six passes defensed and two forced fumbles. Noted by the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network, Minor will now head to Newport Beach, California for a week-long trip where he will pay a visit to Disneyland, play in a golf tournament, be the subject of a roast and be presented with the Lowsman Trophy, which is modeled after the Heisman Trophy, but features a player fumbling the ball. Mr. Irrelevant NFL draft history As previously reported by USA TODAY, the nickname Mr. Irrelevant was first introduced to the NFL draft by former USC receiver and NFL draftee Paul Salata when he gave it to Kelvin Kirk in the 1976 NFL Draft when the Pittsburgh Steelers took the Dayton wide receiver with the last pick of the draft. It has now since become one of the more looked forward to parts of the NFL draft Here's a look at every Mr. Irrelevant since the inception of the nickname in 1976:
