Red Murdock enjoyed a storied college career at Buffalo but all his accolades and production weren’t appearing especially relevant in the eyes of NFL teams.
But Murdock was finally chosen Sunday by the Denver Broncos with the 257th and last pick of the seven-round 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, earning him the label of “Mr. Irrelevant.”
The second-team All-American is the 51st player to earn the “Mr. Irrelevant” tag since the tradition began in 1976.
Murdock, whose birth name is Khalil, set the FBS record of 17 career forced fumbles during his time at Buffalo. He had four in 2023, seven in 2024 and six in 2025. Ironically, another former Buffalo star, longtime NFL player Khalil Mack, held the previous record of 16.
Murdock ranked third in the nation with 142 tackles in 2025 and also had five sacks among 13.5 tackles for loss. In 2024, he was second nationally with 156 stops. He was a first-team All-Mid-American-Conference choice in both seasons.
Still, Murdock was getting concerned in the latter stages of the three-day draft. He didn’t want to go undrafted.
“I feel extremely grateful and excited to help the Broncos win, above all else,” Murdock told reporters. “I know a little bit about Mr. Irrelevant, but the main thing is I got an opportunity, and I’m trying to make the most of it to help us win.”
The most prominent Mr. Irrelevant is quarterback Brock Purdy, who was the final pick of the 2022 draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Purdy was repeatedly passed over despite a highly decorated college career at Iowa State.
It didn’t take long for the pick to pay dividends as Purdy quarterbacked the 49ers to the 2023 season’s Super Bowl before his club lost to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The creator of Mr. Irrelevant, former NFL receiver Paul Salata, died at age 94 in 2021.
The last pick receives more attention than any other seventh-round selection and the notoriety reaches its zenith when the player travels to Southern California to be honored during Irrelevant Week. Among the festivities is the awarding of the “Lowsman Trophy.”
–Field Level Media
