Former University of Idaho linebacker David Vobora isn't getting the accolades, the attention or the huge contract associated with the first overall pick the NFL Draft, but he's certainly going to get the same treatment.
After going through most of the first seven rounds without hearing his name, Vobora and his agent had already started discussing free agent contract possibilities when the call came from Rams head coach Scott Linehan, a former Vandal quarterback, to let Vobora know that the Rams would take him with the final pick in the draft?pick No. 252, AKA “Mr. Irrelevant.”
Fellow Vandals Brandon Ogletree and Rolly Lumbala will also get their shots, as both signed free-agent deals with the Miami Dolphins.
As the final picks approached, Vobora said that one of his friends told him that he thought the last pick got a car. He said that neither he nor his friends knew, so they pulled out his computer and looked it up to find all about “Mr. Irrelevant.”
“I guess once I found out about all this ?Mr. Irrelevant' stuff, I figured there might be a couple stories or something like that, but I didn't think it would be anything like this,” Vobora said. “This is really, legitimately celebrity status.”
Since 1976, the last player in the draft has been dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” in a tradition to celebrate the underdog started by former USC and NFL wide receiver Paul Salata, but it's much more than a title. The city of Newport Beach, Calif., hosts Irrelevant Week, a celebration complete with a parade, a VIP day at Disneyland, surfing lessons and the “Lowsman Trophy,” a spin-off of the Heisman Trophy that features a player fumbling a football.
While the title “Mr. Irrelevant” may not seem like the most flattering moniker, Vobora says it's just fine.
“A reporter asked me if it was an insult or a slap in the face being “Mr. Irrelevant,” but I love it,” Vobora said. “I'm an easy-going person. I love this kind of attention and I'm going to use it to my benefit.”
While Vobora is excited about the prospect of Irrelevant Week, he's even more excited about his prospect with the Rams.
“The Rams are a great organization with some great coaches and they told me that I'm going to go in there and I'm going to have a great opportunity on special teams as well as linebacker to really contribute,” Vobora said. “They only have six linebackers on the roster now, so it's a great chance for me.”
Vobora said that he expects special teams will be his strength and his best chance to get on the field early, and that he has a specific plan for what he's going to do when he gets to minicamp next week.
“Once I get to minicamp, I'm going to shake [Special Team Coach Al Roberts'] hand and I'm going to do anything he wants of me. If they want to blindfold me and have me run 100 miles an hour down the field, I'll do it,” Vobora said.
Vobora becomes the first Vandal drafted since Jake Scott, who was picked by the Colts in the fifth round in 2004 and won a Super Bowl with the team in 2007.
A pair of St. Louis coaches are former Vandals themselves, as Linehan was a quarterback from 1982-86 and assistant secondary coach Mike Cox was a linebacker at Idaho from 1984-87, but that doesn't mean that Vobora is up for a free pass.
“People have been asking me if I think he'll take it easy on me or if he'll be harder on me because I'm from Idaho,” Vobora said. “I tell them that I hope he's harder on me because that's what I expect from a Vandal.”
Vobora said he'd spend the rest of the week working out and keeping himself in shape before heading to St. Louis for minicamp next week.
“It's a dream come true,” Vobora said. “Since I was a little kid, I've wanted to be an NFL player.
“When I hear ?David Vobora, St. Louis Rams linebacker,' it really makes me smile.”
