Since 1976, the NFL has bestowed the title of Mr. Irrelevant upon the last player drafted in the annual rookie draft. The “winner” is awarded the Lowman Trophy (a play on the NCAA’s Heisman Trophy) and is celebrated during a week-long trip commencement in Newport Beach, CA. This year, former Georgia Bulldog Tae Crowder was bequeathed the Lowman. Crowder was among the nation’s best college linebackers in 2019 despite having played the position for just three years. He was drafted by, and still is a member of, the New York Giants.
The Giants were tied 13-13 with divisional rival Washington Football Team late in their Week 6 matchup. Washington was faced with a crucial 3rd & 9 just inside New York territory. A conversion would leave them just outside of field goal range with 3:30 left on the clock. Out of the gun with three men wide, newly named starter Kyle Allen tried to escape heavy pressure from the Giants’ five-man blitz. He successfully dodged initial contact, but Kyler Fackrell wrapped Allen up and punched the ball out for a fumble. After a couple of bounces, New York finally picked up the loose football.
New York would not relinquish that lead as they went on win 20-19.
Crowder’s touchdown is the first by a Mr. Irrelevant since September of 2019, and the third in three years. Trey Quinn of the Washington Football Team recorded one in both 2018 and 2019. Quinn was a casualty of the NFL roster limits; he is now sitting on the Jacksonville practice squad and hasn’t seen a snap in the 2020 season.
Perhaps most impressive is that Crowder’s score is the first defensive touchdown ever by a Mr. Irrelevant. The most recent defensive Mr. Irrelevant prior to Crowder was Southern Miss’s Kalan Reed. Reed saw 89 total snaps over two seasons; Crowder has 84 through just five games.
Crowder and Quinn aren’t the only Mr. Irrelevants scoring, however. Tampa Bay’s Ryan Succop was the final pick of the 2009 draft and has been a reliable kicker since. He tied the record for the highest field goal percentage by a rookie and converted his first 205 career PAT attempts. Succop’s 1,087 career points are good for 11th highest among active NFL players, 52nd all-time.