How many times has a ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ played in a Super Bowl?

It’s hard to believe what the 49ers’ quarterback has achieved in such a short space of time. Consider for a moment that in less than two years, the signal-caller has gone from being a last-resort option after the team’s starter was injured, to taking the Niners to the precipice of sporting greatness.

Why was Brock Purdy called ‘Mr. Irrelevant’?

To make matters simple, the last pick in the NFL Draft is referred to as ‘Mr. Irrelevant. To that end, when Brock Purdy was selected by the San Francisco 49ers with the 262nd overall pick in the 7th round of the 2022 NFL Draft, that was the nickname bestowed upon him. Yet, it’s worth noting that Purdy’s numbers in college weren’t actually that bad. The now 24-year-old entered the league with a67.7% pass completion rate, with a total of 12,170 yards, and 81 touchdowns against 33 interceptions in the 46 games he played during his four years with Iowa State University. Of course, much has happened since then.

As things now stand, Purdy will be playing in Super Bowl LVIII and it’s important to note that he’s one of the main reasons that the 49ers have made it this far. This, of course, brings us to the question of whether or not we’ve witnessed such a Cinderella story before. Has any Mr. Irrelevant in the past caused such a stir and if so, who was he and what did he do?

The first Mr. Irrelevant of relevance

Every time teams select their first-round players in a draft, their freshly harvested talent from college football is expected to help them win a championship or at the least, go one better than the season before. On the other hand, you can probably guess that most fans aren’t looking to Mr Irrelevant to provide that spark. Yet, there has been a case before that of Purdy’s, when a player stepped up to the plate and gave the fans and the team just what they were hoping for.

Back in 1994, the New England Patriots selected Kentucky linebacker Marty Moore with the 222nd overall pick. Surprisingly, Moore would play in all 16 games of his maiden season, even managing to start four of them as he began to establish himself as a solid member of the roster. Then, just three seasons later Patriots would reach the second Super Bowl in the franchise’s history, setting up Moore to clinch a piece of history. Sadly, the Pats were unable to get the win as they fell 21-35 to the Green Bay Packers. Incredibly, Moore and the Patriots would get their chance again in 2001, and this time they made good by defeating the Rams to lift the Vince Lombardi trophy.

Another Mr. Irrelevant with an NFL championship

While the history books will always remember Moore as the first Mr. Irrelevant to win a Super Bowl, you might be surprised to know that he’s not the only one. That honor belongs to kicker Ryan Succop who achieved the feat not so long ago. Drafted by the Chiefs in 2009 with the 256th overall pick in the 7th round of that year’s Draft, Succop stood out among players at his position. Out of South Carolina, he finished his rookie season by tying an NFL record for highest field goal percentage by a first-year player at 86.2.

After a three-year stint with the Chiefs, would go on a journey that would see him produce a slew of impressive performances with the Tennessee Titans until his release in 2020 after six seasons with the team. At that point, he signed a one-year deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and that’s where things got interesting. Indeed, the Bucs made it to the Super Bowl where they managed to win 31-9. What team did they defeat to take the title, thereby making Succop the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in and win a Super Bowl? His former team, the Kansas City Chiefs.