The last pick in the NFL draft usually gets a nickname and a few laughs. John Tuggle got a place in Giants history.
Paramount has released the trailer for Mr. Irrelevant, a film starring Superman actor David Corenswet as Tuggle, the final selection in the 1983 draft. The movie arrives in theaters Dec. 25.
Tuggle was picked 335th overall, but he made the Giants’ roster and played in all 16 games of his rookie season. He became a starting fullback after Rob Carpenter was injured, scored a touchdown and was voted the team’s special teams player of the year. That is quite a return for a player the entire league had passed over.
His football career lasted only that one season. Tuggle was later diagnosed with cancer and died in 1986 at age 25. The Giants honored him by wearing his No. 38 on their helmets during their Super Bowl championship season.
Michael Shannon plays Giants coach Bill Parcells in the film, with Isabel May playing Tuggle’s love interest, Katie. Jonathan Levine directed from a script by Nick Santora, according to PEOPLE’s look at the trailer.
The title is the label Tuggle received on draft day. The trailer’s appeal comes from what he did after it: earn a job, win over his teammates and leave an impression that lasted well beyond his time on the field.
