Mr. Irrelevant XLI: Kalan Reed wants to be steal of the draft

Kalan Reed has heard of the term: steal of the draft. He knows what it’s all about and he believes that’s him.

But before that can become true, Reed is well aware he’ll always be known as Mr. Irrelevant XLI.

The Tennessee Titans, Reed’s favorite team, selected the Southern Miss defensive back with the final and dead-last pick, No. 253, of the 2016 NFL Draft.

“It’s a player who many don’t know what he’s capable of,” Reed said to define the steal of the draft. “He works and shows them what he can do and he ends up being a steal, much more value than what they got there at that pick. Definitely me. I definitely play to be that.”

Reed’s size doesn’t seem to be relevant, as he’s 5-foot-11, 198 pounds. But he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds at the Southern Miss pro day in late March.

He also recorded a 41-1/2-inch vertical leap.

That’s the reason many call him, “Roo.” He can jump.

As a senior Reed earned first-team All-Conference USA honors. He set a new regular-season record at Southern Miss with 19 passes broken up, including four interceptions. He ran back two of those interceptions for touchdowns.

“I just want to be the best player I can be and help the team in any way I can to make them better,” Reed said.

Reed said he was aware of the Mr. Irrelevant pick, but he did not know about Irrelevant Week, the concept of celebrating the underdog for no reason, created by NFL legend Paul Salata, a Newport Beach resident.

Reed came to California once, back in January when he was a part of the NFL Players Assn. Game in Carson. He is excited to return June 3-5, when he’ll be roasted and toasted during the annual Lowsman Banquet. He’ll receive the Lowsman Trophy, which has a figurine fumbling the ball.

Reed will also make the tourists stops and participate in several outdoor activities in Newport Beach. There’s also a parade and celebration planned in his honor on Balboa Island.

There have been many memories and fascinating stories associated with Irrelevant Week. Once, in 2008, Mr. Irrelevant XXXIII David Vobora visited the Playboy Mansion for a party.

“I don’t think my girlfriend would like me going there,” Reed said. “I don’t think I would hear the end of that one.”

Reed said he watched the NFL Draft on Saturday with friends and family at his grandparents’ home in Atlanta. He expected to be selected higher and said the day was a bit stressful.

But he was excited to be picked by his favorite NFL team, the Titans. He became a fan when he was a kid when he lived in Nashville for a couple years before he turned 6, he said.

Reed could only laugh when his name was announced as Mr. Irrelevant by Irrelevant Week CEO Melanie Fitch, Salata’s daughter. While Fitch made the announcement, her husband, Ed, held up a Denver Broncos’ Mr. Irrelevant jersey and her daughter, Alix, held up a Titans helmet.

Originally, the Broncos had the NFL Draft’s final pick, but traded it to Tennessee.

“I was like, ‘that’s a Broncos jersey?’” Reed said. “I’m on the Titans, right? It’s not a typo up there?”

In true irrelevant fashion, it was all in good fun.

On Twitter, Alix Fitch tweeted with a photo of the announcement: “Broncos jersey + Titans helmet? It’s irrelevant.”

Reed is very happy to be picked by the Titans.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” he said. “That’s been my favorite team ever since I was little. It’s a dream come true. I grew up in Birmingham, Ala, but when I was 3-5, I was in Nashville. I have a lot of family. They were going crazy.”

Reed was a three-sport standout athlete at Briarwood Christian High School in Birmingham, Ala., where he also competed in basketball and track and field.

He won state titles in the 100-meter hurdles and the long jump. He said competing in track and field helped him maximize his speed.

He’s hopeful he can be a steal of the draft for Tennessee, where he can receive some friendly Mr. Irrelevant advice from Titans kicker Ryan Succop, Mr. Irrelevant XXXIV from 2009.

Succop was picked by the Kansas City Chiefs and is known as one of the greatest Mr. Irrelevant players in the league’s history.

Reed said he was excited to join the Mr. Irrelevant fraternity and he’s hopeful he can be among the greatest, too. A steal.