Have the Minnesota Vikings ever picked Mr. Irrelevant?

The 2024 NFL Draft is only a couple of weeks away. This is the time of year when teams like the Minnesota Vikings do massive amounts of research on every prospect declaring themselves eligible to be selected.

The first round of the draft always gets the most attention because they are the college prospects that most people are most familiar with. However, every draft pick counts since there can always be a gem that slips through the cracks.

In the last few years, more attention has started to be paid to the end of the draft. The last pick in the draft is nicknamed "Mr. Irrelevant" because very few of them see action but that hasn't always been the case.

The most recent Mr. Irrelevant to get a lot of attention is San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. In 2022, he was selected as the final pick of the draft (262 overall) and went on to lead his team to a Super Bowl and take over as the team's starter.

Have the Minnesota Vikings ever picked Mr. Irrelevant?

The Minnesota Vikings joined the NFL as an expansion team in 1960 and played their first season in 1961. They took part in the 20 rounds of the 1961 draft but would not make the final selection of the event that year.

The Vikings have made two selections for Mr. Irrelevant in the history of the franchise. Considering the team has made that pick twice in 62 years makes them above average since there are 32 teams in the league.

Here are the players the Minnesota Vikings selected as Mr. Irrelevant:

Jim Kelleher, RB - Colorado (1977)

Jim Kelleher attended training camp in Mankato for the Vikings but never saw regular season action for Minnesota. He also tried out for the Eagles after his time with the purple and gold but didn't land a role with the team.

Kelleher had 19 touchdowns and 1,166 rushing yards on 276 carries during his three years at Colorado, adding 89 receiving yards on 15 catches and one score as a pass catcher,

Everett Ross, WR/KR - Ohio State (1989)

Sadly, Everett Ross was the second Mr. Irrelevant not to make it out of training camp with a spot on the Vikings roster. Following his release by Minnesota, he joined the U.S. Army and served until his retirement in 1995.

Ross played at Ohio State for three years. While there, he caught 43 passes for 891 yards and seven scores. His value was higher on special teams, where he acted as the Buckeyes' kick and punt return specialist.