For the second time in the past five years, "Mr. Irrelevant" has a Utah tie.
William Penn tight end Andy Stokes, who is from St. George and played at Snow College, was the 255th and final pick in the NFL Draft on Sunday. In 2001, BYU tight end Tevita Ofahengaue was the final pick of the draft, by the Arizona Cardinals.
Sunday, Stokes was selected by the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots.
Stokes will be center stage at the 30th annual Mr. Irrelevant Week, a bash starting June 20 at Newport Beach, Calif. He'll attend banquets, take part in a parade and get the Lowsman Trophy, the Mr. Irrelevant Week's answer to the Heisman Trophy.
It was a long wait for Stokes, who finished with 42 receptions for 753 yards at William Penn, an NAIA school in Oskaloosa, Iowa, with an enrollment of less than 1,500 students.
He's just happy to have a chance to earn a roster spot with New England.
"I'm excited for that," Stokes said. "I think I have to come in there as if I was a free agent, and I have to really impress them."
Said New England coach Bill Belichick: "(He's) kind of the all-time, small-school pick that I think we've had. He's an athletic guy, a guy that we see a lot of upside potential with. He's a smart, hard-working kid."
NOTABLE PICKS: Quarterback Adrian McPherson, who played two seasons at Florida State before pleading no contest in 2003 to gambling and stolen check charges, was taken with the 152nd choice by New Orleans. He played in the Arena Football League last season.
Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton was the first quarterback selected Sunday on the second day of the draft. Orton went to the Chicago Bears with the fifth pick of the fourth round, No. 106 overall, and was the seventh of 14 quarterback chosen overall.
Oklahoma quarterback Jason White, the Heisman Trophy winner in 2003, was not drafted.
Louisville quarterback Stefan LeFors, the NCAA's highest-rated passer last season, joined Orton in the fourth round, going to Carolina at No. 121.