Every year at the draft, the league selects the final player and gives him the dreaded moniker ‘Mr. Irrelevant.’ Paul Salata, a Mr. Irrelevant himself, transformed the meaning of the term altogether. Public’s perception of the final draft pick was also altered by the success of 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy.
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The 2023 NFL Draft saw many players go to their favorite teams. The first person to get selected was Bryce Young by the Carolina Panthers. Then the very last player who got selected was Desjuan Johnson by the Los Angeles Rams.
Desjuan Johnson: Mr. Irrelevant of the 2023 NFL Draft
Johnson attended East English Village Prep High School and joined the University of Toledo after graduating there. He won the MAC Championship and received a first-team All-MAC selection. In the previous two years, he was a second-team All-MAC selection.
He excelled greatly during his college career, but he was not given a pass to the NFL Combine. However, his outstanding performance during Shrine Bowl week caught the eye of NFL scouts. At the Toledo Pro Day, he dazzled the scouts by clocking a defensive tackle-appropriate 40-yard time of 5.02 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.7 seconds.
Johnson’s biggest strength, according to many, is his rapid release from the snap to attack the opposition’s offense. Despite being only 6-foot-2 and 280 pounds, he can do well due to the versatility he possesses. He went on to have 16.5 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 65 total tackles, and an interception at the end of the 2022 season.
Will Johnson prove his worth on the biggest stage?
When the Rams selected Johnson, Mr. Irrelevant remembered his hero, his father. Desjuan’s dad Dion Johnson also wanted to become an NFL player and even had a tryout with the Chicago Bears in 2002. But, unfortunately, a stray bullet hit him while he was driving in Detroit. This fatal incident paralyzed him and left him with major injuries. Ultimately, Dion Johnson passed away two years later when his son was only four years old.
Hence, the last pick is understandably set on proving his worth and showing his talent at the highest level. “I plan on putting my best foot forward and proving to everybody that I belong,” Johnson recently said as per BBC.
The 259th and last pick was scheduled to go to the Houston Texans, but they traded it to the Los Angeles Rams during the fifth round. It will be interesting to see how Johnson performs, given that he gets a chance to showcase his prowess.
