BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

Usually around this time of year, a smile will come to Jim Finn’s face when he thinks of the NFL Draft.

That’s because he has one of the most unique stories of becoming Mr. Irrelevant XXIV, the last pick of the draft. In 1999, Finn, now a fullback for the New York Giants, was actually with his agent at the draft when the Bears made him the 253rd and last pick.

“It was crazy,” Finn said in a recent story for Giants.com. “They brought me up and tried to make fun of the Mr. Irrelevant thing. I gave them my opinion on what I thought. But it was fun. It was a unique experience and obviously one of the most memorable days of my life. My whole life, I wanted to be in the NFL and there I was, actually getting picked.”

Aside from the memories at the draft, there isn’t too much reason to smile for Finn, though he is the longest tenured Mr. Irrelevant. Last month, the Giants signed Finn’s potential replacement, Vonta Leach, a restricted free agent fullback from the Houston Texans. A week later, the Texans matched the offer and Leach stayed with Houston.

During that week when the Texans were deciding on Leach, Finn was uncertain of his job security, but he still continued to work out with the team.

“Hey, this is the NFL,” Finn said. “Every day they’re trying to replace you. I’ve been trying to get shown the door since the day I got in the NFL. That’s just the nature of the game. You’ve just got to handle it the best you can.”

Finn again handled the situation as best he could when the Giants made their selections. He probably wiped his brow. The Giants did not take a fullback.

So, now, Finn will prepare for life after Tiki Barber, the three-time Pro Bowl running back who retired at last season’s end. Like this year’s Mr. Irrelevant, Ramzee Robinson, Finn will enter training camp as if he has something to prove, as if he needs to make the team.

If a Leach situation comes up again, he’ll just stay true to his confidence.

“I’m not the pretty pick. I’ve never been the pretty pick,” Finn said. “So I’ve just got to go out and do my job and make believers out of non-believers.”

— Steve Virgen