NEW YORK -- Your 2012 Mr. Irrelevant is ... Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish
The Indianapolis Colts selected Andrew Luck with the first overall pick Thursday night, and they closed the NFL draft Saturday by selecting Harnish with the 253rd selection at 7:20 p.m. ET.
"I'm happy to be wanted by a team, and I'm happy to be an Indianapolis Colt because that's been my favorite team all the way through," Harnish, an Indiana native, told local reporters on a conference call, according to The Associated Press.
According to our research, Harnish was the Mid-American Conference Offensive Player of the Year in 2011, leading his team in both rushing and passing. Harnish actually was the leading rushing QB in the country last season. Be afraid, Mr. Luck. Be very afraid.
As Adam Rank laid out for us earlier Saturday, being the last pick in the draft hardly is an NFL death sentence. Several players have had tangible NFL careers, Seattle Seahawks linebacker David Vobora (No. 252, 2008) being the most recent example.
In what has become an NFL draft tradition, Paul Salata -- founder of "Irrelevant Week" -- announced the final pick of the draft. If he so chooses, Harnish will be the guest of honor during a week-long celebration in Newport Beach, Calif. A parade, trophy and gifts are involved. This actually happens.
Salata, who had a brief NFL career in the 1950s, works under the motto of "doing something nice for no reason." He might have faced some competition for relevance himself this year, but Salata remains one of the draft's most enduring figures.
