Patriots CB Opens Up About ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ Title

While most athletes would be disgusted by having their respective names associated with the term ‘irrelevant,’ New England Patriots seventh-round draft choice Kobee Minor is eager to embrace it.

Having been chosen with the 257th and final pick of the 2025 NFL Draft, Minor effectively became the “Mr. Irrelevant” of this year’s class. Still, the Dallas, Texas native is embracing the underdog role which inherently comes with his new title.

“I love it, actually. It's just fuel to my fire,” Minor told reporters via video conference on Saturday. “I'm going to just continue to work and I'm excited for this opportunity.”

Before arriving at the University of Memphis, Bryant spent three seasons at Texas Tech from 2020 through 2022. Though his playing time with the Red Raiders was limited to only 161 defensive snaps, Minor’s desire to succeed on the gridiron only increased. He transferred to Indiana for the 2023 campaign, aligning on 615 defensive plays and earning an honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. Last season, his lone campaign with the Tigers, Minor played in 11 games, logging 38 total tackles — seven of which went for loss — two sacks, six passes-defensed and two forced fumbles.

Accordingly, Minor’s determination has led to notable improvement on the field. In fact, his potential was sufficient enough to reach the eyes of Patriots scouts, who brought the now ex-Tiger to Foxborough, Massachusetts for a Top-30 visit during the free agent process. Considering the fact that NFL teams are given only 30 slots for such visits, its clear that the Pats brain trust saw Minor as anything but “irrelevant” — a point which he confirmed following his day three selection.

“I wouldn't say [New England’s interest] came out of nowhere.,” Minor recalled. “I talked to some of the scouts at my Pro Day about coming up and just visiting their facility and stuff like that. I went up there for a top-30 visit and I enjoyed the visit a lot. Nice staff. It gave me that family feel like I was back at home. So, yeah, it's not a surprise … I have been in contact with them before.”

To his credit, the Patriots interest in Minor appears to be mutual. Pats’ executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf revealed that the team had been eyeing the 5-foot-11, 188-pound defensive back for quite some time.

“Kobee was a guy our scouts that went into Memphis this year got on early," Wolf said. "The movement skills at practice, the ability to play the football in the air and his competitiveness ... he was a guy we had some affinity for. We’re excited to be able to add him.”

Despite his confidence — buoyed by a pseudo-endorsement from their front office — Minor faces an uphill battle to make the Pats 53-man roster. Not only will he face the pressures of adjusting to the pro level, he is also attempting to join a crowed positional group which includes Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Alex Austin, Marcellas Dial, Marcus Jones and Isaiah Bolden. Though the road to pro-level success will not be smoothly paved, Minor is certain that both his attitude and aptitude will allow him to rise above his competition once again.

“I would say I'm a dog, in my opinion, for sure,” Minor said with conviction. “You're going to get a hard worker, a guy that does everything right on and off the field. You're getting a good football player and a better person. That's all I'm going to say.”

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