Stokes becomes Mr. Irrelevant XXX

Barry Faulkner

An NFL draft that began Saturday with the selection of a Utah hero,

ended Sunday by refocusing a more subtle spotlight on the southwest

corner of the state.

But St. George, Utah native Andy Stokes, chosen by the New England

Patriots with the 255th and final pick to become Mr. Irrelevant XXX,

seemed no less enthused about his football future than former Utah

quarterback Alex Smith, who went No. 1 to the San Francisco 49ers.

As Mr. Irrelevant, Stokes will be the featured guest of the 30th

annual Irrelevant Week celebration, scheduled June 20-25 in Newport

Beach.

“It has been quite a day,” said Stokes by phone from his parents’

Utah home, where he patiently watched the draft on television until

New England Coach Bill Belichick called to personally deliver him his

dream.

“It was kind of exciting [talking to the coach of the

two-time-defending Super Bowl champions],” said Stokes, a 6-foot-5,

245-pound tight end out of William Penn, an NAIA school in Oskaloosa,

Iowa. “I kind of like the way he runs that [New England] program.

They don’t have any individuals.”

Polite but cautiously economical with his words, one gathers

Stokes’ personality is as far away from the preening self-promoters

who have proliferated in the NFL, as William Penn is from big-time

college football.

“It’s around the same level as [NCAA] Division II,” Stokes said of

William Penn, which went 3-8 last season, 2-5 in the Midwest Classic

Conference.

Stokes, a former prep quarterback who played one season at Snow

Community College in Utah, before accepting a full scholarship to

William Penn, was a three-year starter for the Statesmen.

As a junior, he caught 30 passes for 408 yards and three

touchdowns, then collected 42 receptions for 753 yards and five TDs

to earn honorable mention for NAIA All-American laurels.

He made second-team all-region as a senior and attracted enough

interest to earn an invitation to play in the Las Vegas All-American

Classic in January.

“That was the key to my whole deal,” Stokes said of the all-star

game that showcased his pass-catching talents to NFL scouts. “I think

before that game, I was really an unknown.”

Stokes cited receiving skills as his strength. He said his best

time in the 40-yard dash was 4.72 and, though he put on 35 pounds of

muscle as a collegian, blocking is something he hopes to improve

upon.

But Stokes said his experience on special teams throughout his

football career could help him become one of Belichick’s boys.

Stokes’ athleticism -- he played football, basketball and baseball

in high school -- was put to use at William Penn. In 10 games as a

junior, he rushed three times for 23 yards. As a senior, he carried

once for 16 yards and also completed his only pass for a 39-yard

gain.

The Patriots, winners of three of the last four Super Bowls, list

three tight ends on their roster. Daniel Graham, a 26-year-old former

Colorado star, is the incumbent starter, while another former

Colorado standout, 33-year-old Christian Fauria, has had a solid

11-year NFL career.

Graham, 6-3, 257 pounds, averaged 34 catches the last two years

and shared the team lead with seven TD receptions in 2004.

Fauria, 6-4, 250, averaged 19 receptions the last two years.

Joel Jacobs, 24, out of Nebraska-Kearney, is the other tight end

listed on the team’s website.

Stokes may also receive competition from Matt Cassel, a

quarterback whoplayed some tight end during his time at USC. Cassel,

chosen 230th overall by New England in the seventh round Sunday, is

the brother of UC Irvine sophomore pitcher Justin Cassel.

Stokes acknowledges there is stiff competition, but is eager to

begin facing the challenge, beginning with the team’s rookie camp

that starts Thursday.

“I know they have some good tight ends, but I just want to go out

there and do the best I can,” said Stokes, the 10th tight end taken

in the draft.

He said he has never enjoyed being made a fuss over, which may

hinder his Irrelevant Week experience.

“I think it will be fun and everything,” he said of the annual

celebration of the last player taken in the draft, which includes the

presentation of the Lowsman Trophy.

The annual festivities are scheduled to kick off June 20 with the

arrival party.

“But it’s just part of the process for me.”

Stokes, who said he grew up a fan of the University of Utah, noted

the ironic nature of the first and last pick having Utah ties.

“I did notice that,” he said of he and Smith book-ending the

selections. “I think that’s quite a coincidence.”