The Last Name Called in Pittsburgh
At 7:48 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, April 25, 2026, the Detroit Lions stepped to the podium at Acrisure Stadium and turned in the 256th and final card of the 2026 NFL Draft. The name on it was Red Murdock, a 6-foot-3, 218-pound punter from Utah whose senior tape included a 47.1-yard gross average and 28 punts dropped inside the 20. Murdock is now Mr. Irrelevant 2026 — the most famous title in football that nobody actually wants to win, and the one Brock Purdy turned into a $260 million conversation three years ago. The Lions, of all teams, were the ones who got to anoint him.
Why a Punter, and Why Now
Detroit's incumbent punter Jack Fox is 31 and entering the final year of his deal. The Lions ranked 24th in net punting last fall and watched Jared Goff's offense bog down inside the opponent's 40 too often to ignore the field-position math. General manager Brad Holmes has spent the last three drafts hammering trenches and special teams in the late rounds — Jake Bates was a UFL reclamation, Craig Reynolds was a waiver pickup, and Murdock fits the same archetype. He is not a developmental quarterback or a vanity flier. He is a directional left-footed punter with a 4.62-second operation time, and the Lions believe he can win a camp battle outright.
Where the Tradition Comes From
The Mr. Irrelevant gimmick was invented in 1976 by former USC and Rams receiver Paul Salata, who decided the last pick of every NFL Draft deserved a parade instead of a pity laugh. Salata trademarked the title, started Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach, California, and built it into a real event with a roast, a regatta, and the Lowsman Trophy — a bronze player fumbling the ball, a deliberate inversion of the Heisman. Salata died in 2021 at age 94, and his daughter Melanie now runs the week. Murdock is the 50th Mr. Irrelevant in league history, and the celebration is reportedly scheduled for late June on Balboa Pier.
The Brock Purdy Effect Is Real and Annoying
Every Mr. Irrelevant from here until the sun burns out is going to get a Brock Purdy comparison they did not ask for. Purdy was pick 262 in 2022, started 11 games as a rookie, took the 49ers to a Super Bowl, and signed a five-year, $265 million extension last May that briefly made him the highest-paid quarterback in football. Before Purdy, the most accomplished Mr. Irrelevant was Marty Moore, a Patriots linebacker who played in Super Bowl XXXI. The bar moved overnight, and it is unfair to a punter from Utah. Murdock is not the next Purdy. He is the next punter, and that is a real job that pays roughly $840,000 in 2026 rookie minimum.
Who Red Murdock Actually Is
Murdock grew up in Sandy, Utah, walked on at the University of Utah in 2021 after a two-year LDS mission to Argentina, and earned a scholarship as a redshirt sophomore. He was a Ray Guy Award semifinalist as a senior with a hang time that scouts clocked at 4.6 seconds on his best balls. He is left-footed, which matters more than civilians realize — return men are conditioned to read right-footed spin, and a southpaw forces an extra half-second of recalibration. He is also 25 years old, married, and has a one-year-old daughter named June. The Lions are getting a grown man with a stable life and a specific skill, not a project.
The Lions Are Quietly Good at This
Detroit has now had three Mr. Irrelevants in franchise history, including Sean Crawford in 1981 and Pat Maynard in 1991. Neither stuck. But Holmes has built a culture where seventh-round picks actually feel like they have a path — Brodric Martin, Antoine Green, and Chase Lucas all got real snaps in 2025 — and special-teams coordinator Dave Fipp is widely considered the best in the league at developing punters and gunners. If Murdock is going to beat the odds, Allen Park is the place to do it. The historical hit rate on Mr. Irrelevant is brutal: of the previous 49, fewer than a dozen played more than 16 NFL games.
What He Said When the Phone Rang
According to NFL Network's draft-room cut-in, Murdock answered Holmes's call from his parents' basement in Sandy with seven family members crammed onto a sectional. His first words were reportedly, "Coach, I'll punt it through a brick wall." The clip got 4.1 million views on X by Sunday morning. He flies to Detroit on Tuesday for rookie minicamp on May 8-10, will compete with Fox and undrafted free agent Cameron Little out of Arkansas, and is expected to be the favorite to handle holds on field goals regardless of who wins the punting job. Irrelevant Week organizers confirmed Saturday night that Murdock has accepted the Newport Beach invitation. The parade is June 22.
The Verdict
Mr. Irrelevant is a 50-year-old joke that became a real piece of football folklore because Paul Salata refused to let the last pick feel like garbage. Red Murdock is a legitimate NFL punter who happened to land at the bottom of the board because punters always do — only one punter went earlier this year, Tory Taylor's heir apparent Riley Thompson to the Bears at pick 217. Murdock will get a parade, a trophy of a man fumbling a football, and a roster spot to fight for. The Purdy comparisons are noise. The job is the job, and the leg is the leg. Welcome to the league, kid.