History tells us the man tagged as "Mr. Irrelevant" faces an uphill climb to stardom.
A scattering of success stories rise from a pool of men who soon found themselves working the paint aisle at Home Depot, but this year's final draft pick stands to buck the trend.
Quarterback Chandler Harnish -- selected 253rd overall by the Indianapolis Colts -- is the beneficiary of a roster overhaul that saw Peyton Manning, Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky and Kerry Collins exit stage left.
"(Harnish) is relevant, because otherwise you wouldn't burn a pick on somebody," general manager Ryan Grigson told the Tribune-Star. "He is very smart and mobile. He is a really good leader and you don't get a bad word about this guy. He's got ability and we are happy with the pick. He was up there on our board higher than when we took him, believe me."
Once he rids himself of some unwanted attention, Harnish -- a lifelong Colts fan who led Northern Illinois in rushing and passing last season -- will battle Drew Stanton for the right to become Andrew Luck's backup. The other passer on the roster? The ghostlike Trevor Vittatoe.
Of course, if Luck winds up playing the way most expect, Harnish's best move is a phone call to Painter for tips on how to look busy on the sideline while holding a clipboard for the next 3,000 days.
You could argue the whole "Mr. Irrelevant" label has lost some of its meaning. After the draft shrunk from 12 to eight rounds in 1993 and then down to seven in 1994, the final pick no longer is a man pulled out of the shadows. Considering the volume of undrafted free agents going on to success in the NFL, it wouldn't be a miracle if Harnish finds a place in Indianapolis.
