Cal Football: One Mock NFL Draft Projects LB Jackson Sirmon as Mr. Irrelevant

The late Cal running back John Tuggle earned the same distinction as the final pick of the 1983 NFL draft

At least four NFL mock drafts project Cal inside linebacker Jackson Sirmon to be selected this weekend when teams pluck prospects from the college ranks.

The respected website Walter Football gives Sirmon the highest ranking, envisioning him as a fourth-round pick. NFL.com has Sirmon as a fifth-rounder, and both 33rd Team and Drafttek predict he will go in the seventh round.

Drafttek gives Sirmon the special distinction of being Mr. Irrelevant — the final player chosen in the draft at No. 257 overall.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was chosen in final spot of the 2022 draft by the 49ers and he led the franchise to a Super Bowl this past season.

In fact, if it unfolds that way, Sirmon wouldn’t even be the first Cal player to wear the Mr. Irrelevant tag.

Running back John Tuggle held that title in the 1983 draft, going at No. 335 to the New York Jets. 

With the Giants, he became the first player selected last in the draft to make the roster of the team that drafted him. Tugge played primarily special teams in 1983 but also started five games and rushed for 49 yards and a touchdown.

In the offseason, he was diagnosed with cancer, which prevented him from ever playing again. The Giants kept him on their roster in order to continue paying him through 1985, then paid his health expenses the rest of his life. Tuggle died Aug. 30, 1986 at the age of 25.

At Cal, Tuggle rushed for 1,810 career yards and scored 19 total touchdowns from 1979 through ’82, and is perhaps best remembered for the 1980 Big Game, when he ran for 110 yards and scored two touchdowns to lead the underdog Bears to a 28-23 upset of a Stanford squad led by John Elway.

Sirmon, who began his career at Washington, totaled 153 tackles, 90 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and 1 interception in 18 games over his two seasons with the Bears. Sirmon missed the second half of the 2023 season after tearing a biceps muscle.

He was a first-team All-Pac-12 selection by the league’s coaches in 2022 and earned a spot on the 2023 team chosen by Pro Football Focus, despite missing the final six games.

Sirmon also has expanded his skillset by developing as a long-snapper this past offseason.

He is the son of Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon, a fourth-round draft pick in 2000 out of Oregon, who went on to play six NFL seasons.

The NFL draft begins Thursday with first-round selections, continues with second- and third-round picks on Friday and concludes Saturday with the fourth through seven rounds.

Here’s how the mock drafts view Sirmon’s NFL prospects: 

— WALTER FOOTBALL: Fourth round, No. 123 to the Houston Texans

Comment: “Denzel Perryman is a short-term solution at linebacker. The Texans could use someone at the position for the long haul. Jackson Sirmon is a quick and instinctive linebacker.”

— NFL.COM: Fifth round, No. 148 to the Carolina Panthers

Comment: Inside linebacker who plays with consistency and technique that position coaches will appreciate. The son of a former NFL linebacker and current college coach, Sirmon sees the field clearly and is quick to diagnose and respond to the action. He has average short-area quickness and change-of-direction ability but will be in the right place at the right time. Despite his short arms, Sirmon has a knack for getting around blocks to leverage run fits and he’s been a consistent tackle finisher throughout his career. He’s smart but limited in coverage and is coming off a season-ending biceps injury, but he has the size and positional savvy to become an NFL backup and special teams performer.

— THE 33RD TEAM: Seventh round, No. 232 to the Minnesota Vikings

— DRAFTTEK: Seventh round, No. 257 to the New York Jets