Mr. Irrelevant unveiled

No. 1 in your University of Alabama football program, No. 255 and last in your NFL Draft.

The juxtaposition is more than an ironic coincidence for Ramzee Robinson, a 5-foot- 9 1/2 , 182-pound cornerback who was chosen with the final compensatory pick in the seventh round Sunday by the Detroit Lions.

As the last player picked in the two-day cattle call for prospective gridiron professionals, Robinson becomes Mr. Irrelevant XXXII. As such, he is the featured guest of Irrellevant Week, conducted annually in June in Newport Beach.

Created by former NFL receiver and Newport Beach businessman Paul Salata as a celebration of the little guy, Irrelevant Week gives Salata, the consumate philanthropist who announced the pick on stage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, yet another reason to do something nice for someone for no reason.

Robinson, who knew nothing of Irrelevant Week before Sunday, learned of the importance of giving to others from his grandmother, Mary Hunt. Hunt, he said, was the strong and selfless matriarch of his family until her death in February of 2005.

Robinson, who played in 50 straight contests, including 36 starts, for the Crimson Tide during a workmanlike collegiate career, wore jersey No. 17 his first two seasons at ‘Bama.

But, before his junior season, in honor of his late grandmother, he switched to jersey No. 1.

“My grandmother was the captain of my family,” said Robinson, who produced 143 tackles, four interceptions, a bachelor’s degree in management, and a locker room full of admiring teammates and coaches during his time in Tuscaloosa. “She was the No. 1 lady for me and she kept my entire family together. I wanted to wear No. 1 to honor her memory. I decided I wanted to try to be first in everything I do.”

Robinson, whose list of weaknesses is only slightly shorter than his list of strengths on the biography posted online by Scouts Inc., believes his grandmother would have been proud, when his name was called by Salata Sunday.

Robinson, on the other hand, was relieved.

“[The draft] was one of the worst experiences I’ve had as a student-athlete,” he said. “I wanted to get drafted [Saturday], but that didn’t happen. Then, as the rounds went on [Sunday] I started to get a little frustrated. I stopped watching it on TV about the middle of the sixth round.”

Robinson, reached by phone at his home in Huntsville, Ala., said he ventured outside to his uncle’s house next door, where he sat on his uncle’s car and took phone calls from teams inquiring about signing him as an undrafted free agent.

But suddenly, he saw a cousin bolting out of his family’s house right toward him. He was followed by a crowd of giddy family members, who proceded to chase Robinson around the yard, eventually consuming him in a stream of joyful hugs.

“My Mom [Fedetrice Robinson] is not that big a football fan, but she was watching the draft all weekend,” Ramzee Robinson said. “I have to take my hat off to my family, because they kept watching until my name was called.”

Robinson, who returned one interception 34 yards for a touchdown last season against Florida International, and returned another 44 yards for a TD in the Hula Bowl all-star game Jan. 14, said he always believed he would get the opportunity to pursue his professional dream.

“My faith was tested through the whole weekend, but I always thought I’d have the opportunity to get drafted,” Robinson said. “It has been my ultimate dream since I began playing the sport when I was 10. Now, I have a great opportunity, because the door is open for me to play at the next level.”

It’s an opportunity he plans to seize.

“I’ve never taken my ability for granted and I’ve always approached the game as if every day I play could be my last,” said Robinson, who won the team’s Leadership Award after spring practice in 2006 and earned the program’s “I Like to Practice Award as a sophomore. “I have some god-given ability, but I’m all about earning the right to play. I’ve never had anything given to me. I’ve faced challenges at every level I’ve played football and I don’t expect things to get any easier now. I’m excited about my opportunity, but I’m also very focused. I want to earn the right to be considered a member of the Detroit Lions.”

Robinson said he has not always considered himself a defensive player. He was a three-time All-City and All-District quarterback at Butler High in Huntsville. His final two seasons combined, he threw for 2,450 yards and 19 touchdowns, and rushed for 968 yards and 11 TDs.

“When I came out of high school, I was still offensive minded,” said Robinson, whose favorite player as a youth was Emmitt Smith. “I had to learn how to play cornerback my first year of college.”

Robinson, who runs the 40-yard dash in 4.52 seconds, said he prides himself on his man-to-man coverage.

He said catching the ball is an area of the game he needs to improve upon. He broke up 22 passes in his collegiate career and he admits some of those were interceptions he merely dropped.

Robinson was the second cornerback drafted by Detroit, which lost 2006 starting cornerback Dre Bly, who singed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos in the offseason.

A.J. Davis, out of North Carolina State, was chosen in the fourth round (105th overall) by the Lions.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at [email protected]