Meet Alabama’s Jaylen Key, the Mr. Irrelevant of the 2024 NFL Draft
The New York Jets held the 257th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, the final selection of this year’s class – the pick that we all commonly refer to as “Mr. Irrelevant.”
To bring this year’s draft in Detroit, Michigan to a close, the Jets spent the pick on Jaylen Key, a safety from the University of Alabama.
Key, a 6-foot-2 native of Quincy, Florida, began his career at UAB back in 2018 but redshirted as a freshman. From 2019 to 2022, he played in 24 games for the Blazers, notching 78 tackles, a sack and three interceptions. After earning an All-CUSA nod in 2022, he entered the transfer portal and ended up in Tuscaloosa playing for Nick Saban’s Alabama Crimson Tide.
Mr Irrelevant is Alabama's Jaylen Key pic.twitter.com/JhghXmkJWQ
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) April 27, 2024
As a super senior, Key won a starting job at safety for Alabama, tallied 60 tackles and had an interception as the Tide won the SEC and went to the College Football Playoff.
Your 2024 Mr. Irrelevant. Welcome to NY, @Jaylen_Key #NYJ pic.twitter.com/jK4oRm4go6
— Woody Johnson (@woodyjohnson4) April 27, 2024
Folks started anointing the final pick of the draft as “Mr. Irrelevant” during the 1970s. Since then, while a whole lot of those players got cut before the first game of the following season, several have gone on to successful NFL careers.
Among the most famous Mr. Irrelevant selections is quarterback Brock Purdy, who just started for the San Francisco 49ers in this year’s Super Bowl. He was the 262nd overall pick in 2022 out of Iowa State and rose to the top job – and then held onto it – after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.
Another Mr. Irrelevant who played in – and won – a Super Bowl is kicker Ryan Succop, selected by the Chiefs with the final pick in 2009. He stuck around the NFL for more than a decade and was the kicker of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they won it all in 2021.
Last year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Toledo defensive end Desjuan Johnson, played in 11 games as a rookie with the LA Rams.