FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Jaylen Key knows what comes with his new nickname.
And the former Alabama safety is fully embracing being this year's “Mr. Irrelevant.”
The New York Jets selected Key with the final pick of the NFL draft Saturday — No. 257 overall — to complete the three-day, seven-round event.
“It means everything, that’s part of the title,” Key said during a video call with reporters. “You just have to take it and lean into it. So for me, I’m definitely going to lean into it, every bit of it.”
It’s the second time the Jets had the final pick in the draft, and first since they took Duke defensive tackle Fred Zirkle with the 442nd selection in 1969. Zirkle never played for New York, instead choosing a business career rather than one on the gridiron.
While the nickname was once considered a dubious honor since many “Mr. Irrelevant” picks never played a down in the NFL, Key might have a shot at sticking in the pros based on recent history.
San Francisco took Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with the last pick in the 2022 draft and he has been anything but irrelevant.
He worked his way from third-stringer to starter as a rookie and won the starting job last season and helped the 49ers to the Super Bowl. Purdy led the NFL in passer rating, total quarterback rating and yards gained per attempt and was selected the NFC’s starting QB for the Pro Bowl.
“We have some shoes to fill behind Brock,” Key said with a smile. “But I can tell you this: We’re going to make something shake, for sure.”
While they haven’t seen nearly that sort of success yet, the other most recent “Mr. Irrelevant” picks — defensive end Desjuan Johnson (Rams, 2023), linebacker Grant Stuard (Buccaneers, 2021) and linebacker Tae Crowder (Giants, 2020) — have gone on to play significant snaps in the NFL.
Key will be part of an exclusive party first. He’ll be invited to participate in “Irrelevant Week” — a tradition that started in 1976 by former wide receiver Paul Salata in which that year’s final player selected in the NFL draft is feted during a week of events in Southern California, including a trip to Disneyland.
With the Jets, Key joins a safety group that includes Chuck Clark, Tony Adams, Ashtyn Davis and Jarrick Bernard-Converse.
“He’s been given nothing and had to earn everything,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said of Key. “The right kind of warrior makeup mentality and perseverance that is going to help him, here and in life.”
Key played his first four college seasons at UAB before transferring to Alabama. He played his way into the starting secondary for the Crimson Tide and had an interception and 60 total tackles last season.
“My overall thing going into the portal was if I’m going to do it, I’m going to go against the best talent in the country every day, so I can get better for the next level, so I can be prepared for the next level,” Key said. "So when I ultimately get to the point I’m at now, it’s really a seamless transition because I’ve already been going against the best every day.
“So, now I’m on the next level, already used to that.”
But it didn't come without a few nervous moments.
Key was following the draft as names were called one after one, and his wasn't among them. His agent was already calling him about potential teams with whom he could sign as an undrafted free agent.
“It coming down to the very last pick was pretty nerve-wracking,” Key said. "I was actually in the garage while all my family was in the living room watching. And then once I got the call, I saw that it said, ‘New York,’ and I knew you guys had the last pick, so when I saw that, I knew.
“That’s when I ran back in the house.”
Key was now an NFL player. With a relevant nickname.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
FILE - Alabama defensive back Jaylen Key celebrates after his interception during the first half an NCAA college football game against Middle Tennessee, Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023, in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The New York Jets selected Key with the the last pick, 257th overall, in the NFL draft Saturday, April 27, 2204. (AP Photo/Vasha Hunt, File)
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Catalonia is holding a regional election on Sunday whose outcome will reverberate in Spain’s national politics.
The ballot will be a test both for the strength of the separatist movement in the wealthy northeastern part of Spain and for the policies of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
More than 5.7 million voters are eligible to choose lawmakers for the regional parliament based in Barcelona.
Separatists have held the regional government for more than a decade. But polling and a national election in July show that support for secession has shrunk somewhat since former regional president Carles Puigdemont led an illegal — and futile — breakaway bid in 2017.
Puigdemont is a fugitive from Spain's laws since he fled the country days after his failed secession attempt. But that isn't stopping him from running in this election as he campaigns from southern France. He has said that he will return to Spain when the newly elected lawmakers convene to choose a regional president at some point after the election.
By that time, Puigdemont hopes to be cleared of any legal troubles after Spain’s parliament gives final approval to a contentious amnesty for him and hundreds of other separatists.
The amnesty forms part of Sánchez’s intense push to reduce tensions in Catalonia that also included the pardoning of jailed high-profile separatists. If voters don't validate that by coming out in support of his Socialist party, then it would be a blow to the leader who heads a minority coalition in Madrid.
Sánchez has campaigned alongside Salvador Illa, the candidate of the Socialists. Illa won the most votes in a 2021 regional election but was unable to stop separatist Pere Aragonès from forming a government.
The election will feature a battle inside the separatist camp between Puigdemont’s conservative Together party and Aragonès’s Republican Left of Catalonia.
An upstart pro-secession, far-right party called Catalan Alliance, which rails against unauthorized immigration as well as the Spanish state, will hope to earn parliamentary representation.
A total of nine parties are running and no single one is expected to come close to winning enough votes to reach the absolute majority of 68 seats in the chamber. So deal-making will be critical.
A torn up poster showing partially a portrait of Catalan president and ERC candidate Pere Aragonès in downtown Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 9, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
People walk past electoral posters showing a portrait of fugitive former regional president Carles Puigdemont in downtown Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, May 9, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Former regional president Carles Puigdemont poses for a photo during a campaign rally in Argelers, France, Wednesday, May 8, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries. (AP Photo/Joan Mateu)
A voter prepares to cast his ballot for Catalonia's regional elections in La Roca del Vallès, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A voter prepares to cast his ballot for Catalonia's regional elections in La Roca del Vallès, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Socialist candidate Salvador Illa talks to journalists after voting at a polling station in La Roca del Valles, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. Catalonia is holding a regional election on Sunday whose outcome will be a test both for the strength of the separatist movement and for the policies of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Socialist candidate Salvador Illa casts his ballot at a polling station in La Roca del Valles, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. Catalonia is holding a regional election on Sunday whose outcome will be a test both for the strength of the separatist movement and for the policies of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
A voter holds his puppy as he casts his ballot for Catalonia's regional elections in La Roca del Vallès, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries.(AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
An early voter casts his ballot for Catalonia's regional elections in La Roca del Vallès, north of Barcelona, Sunday May 12, 2024. About 6 million Catalans are casting ballots in a regional election that will test if Catalonia wants pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont back or if the wealthy region has moved on to more pressing worries. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
