There's no shortage of anticipation at No. 1 overall for the 2023 NFL Draft.
However, it's unlikely there's ever been as much anticipation for the final pick of a draft, as "Mr. Irrelevant" will be chosen for the first time since Brock Purdy's historic rookie season last year.
Holding the 262nd selection of the 2023 draft, the Houston Texans are scheduled for this year's "Mr. Irrelevant" pick and a look back provided by NFL Research shows just how special Purdy's first season was -- and just how impactful any pick can be over the next three days.
Since the league's switch to seven rounds in the draft in 1994, Purdy was the fourth quarterback to be the last overall pick and none before him ever threw an NFL pass, much less started a game.
Purdy started five games in the regular season and went a perfect 5-0, as he completed 114 passes for 1,374 yards to go with 13 touchdowns.
Only linebacker Tae Crowder ever made more starts as a "Mr. Irrelevant" rookie, tallying six for the New York Giants in 2020. Impressive as Crowder was, his starts came for a 6-10 New York squad, while Purdy was a guiding force in the Niners winning the NFC West and making a playoff march.
Purdy propelled the squad to the NFC Championship Game before an elbow injury led to the Niners' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Currently on the mend from elbow surgery, Purdy was hoping to hear his name called a year ago at this time. And, with the final selection of the draft, Purdy got the call.
Houston holds 12 picks in the draft -- tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the most in the NFL. Though the Texans have picks aplenty, they're no doubt hopeful of making all of them count as they look to turn the franchise around. Rookie head coach DeMeco Ryans saw first-hand how well Purdy did when he was 49ers defensive coordinator last season.
Pick No. 262 was a history-maker and a game-changer for the 49ers in 2022.
So it goes that pick No. 259 of the 2023 draft might feature the most anticipated "Mr. Irrelevant" selection there's ever been.
