Not dreading being irrelevant

Tim Toone says people give him strange looks in Ogden, Utah. It’s a conservative town, and Toone usually catches people by surprise because of his hairdo. There aren’t too many white men with dreadlocks in Ogden.

But Toone appears to have a flair for being different. On Sunday, at the end of the NFL Draft, Toone became unique again.

The Detroit Lions picked him with the 255th and dead-last selection, making him Mr. Irrelevant XXXV. Yes, Mr. Irrelevant is a white man with dreadlocks.

However, Toone won’t look out of place in Newport Beach, where Irrelevant Week will be on hand, June 21 through 25.

He’ll be celebrated, honored and roasted throughout the week. People will be sure to notice his dreads, as well as his chiseled jaw. Because of those features, he says many people call him, “Tarzan.”

He’s excited to swing into Newport Beach in two months.

“I’m ready to come down and have some fun,” said Toone, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound receiver who left Weber State as the all-time leader in pass receptions (206), receiving yards (3,607) and touchdown catches (29). “I’m so blessed right now. I worked hard for everything I earned. This is the tip of the iceberg. I’m starting a new life. I’m just super excited. I just think [the Mr. Irrelevant concept is] hilarious. I’m honored to be Mr. Irrelevant this year.”

Paul Salata, 83, a Newport Beach resident, created the concept 35 years ago, basing the idea on doing something nice for someone for no reason at all. He announced the pick at Radio City Music Hall in New York to end the draft.

This year, Salata is trying to keep Irrelevant Week in Newport Beach permanently by forming a partnership with the NFL.

He hopes having Toone as the poster boy will help. It doesn’t hurt that his background meshes well with Irrelevant Week. He is the second Weber State football player to be Mr. Irrelevant, as Cam Quayle, also of the Wildcats, was the draft’s final pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 1998.

Toone is also the fifth Mr. Irrelevant in Lions’ history. In 2007, Detroit picked Ramzee Robinson, who didn’t last with the Lions and is now trying to stay in the league with the Cleveland Browns.

Toone wants to have staying power and wants to contribute right away. He might be able to because of his dynamic punt-return skills. This past season, his senior year, Toone led the nation in punt returns with an average of 19.9 yards per return. He totaled 19 returns for 378 yards and two touchdowns, one of the TDs was for 90 yards in the snow.

However, being more mature than most NFL rookies just might help too.

Toone is 25. He spent two years in West Africa, serving a two-year mission for the church of Latter Day Saints.

“It was awesome,” said Toone, originally from Peoria, Ariz. “It helped me grow up and know what’s really important in life. I loved it and I believed it helped me with football, to be ready with every situation I’ll be put in.”

He certainly made an impact while at Weber State, where he led the Wildcats with 83 catches, 1,109 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2009.

Yet Toone affected many away from the field.

“In your lifetime you get fortunate to come across a quality person that he is,” said Steve Cox, who coached the receivers the past two years at Weber State and is now a linebackers coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. “He’s a very caring and grounded young man. He looks at this as a huge opportunity, but he knows it’s not the end-all. He’ll always be better for it and that’s why he was so fun to coach.”

Cox believes Toone has a lot to offer when it comes to earning a spot on the Lions’ roster. Maturity is key, he says. That could be seen on Friday, when Toone graduated from Weber State with a degree in athletic therapy.

The next day he didn’t think he would be drafted by a team. Toone visited the Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins before the draft, but was thinking he would make a team as a rookie free agent.

Now he’s going to Detroit, where he’ll be working with Calvin Johnson, one of the most feared wide receivers in the game.

“It’s going to be awesome,” Toone said. “I’m going to learn a lot from him. I bet he’s a great guy and he’ll be able to help me out a lot.”

Before that takes place, he’ll be the main attraction during Irrelevant Week. A great deal of the highlights usually come during the All-Star Lowsman Trophy banquet, when Toone receives the statuette of a football player dropping the ball.

“Amazing,” Toone said. “Mr. Irrelevant, that’s the perfect name for this spot, but everyone has a chance.”