"What's funny was I was speaking with family and friends and somebody mentioned something about it," Vobora said. "I said, 'No, that's not true.' I actually pulled out the computer and we Googled it and learned about it about five minutes before I got picked."
As the 252nd and final player taken in the draft, Vobora receives the title of Mr. Irrelevant for 2008. He'll be the guest of honor during a week-long celebration of the underdog in Newport Beach, Calif.
"You can't argue with that," Vobora said of getting a free trip to Southern California.
Mr. Irrelevant was the tongue-in-cheek name coined by former NFL player Paul Salata in 1976. He came up with the name from group of socialists at the University of California who would parade instead of working every day, calling it being irrelevant.
Salata actually walks to the podium to make the final pick each year.
Strangely enough, ESPN showed Chadron State running back Danny Woodhead talking on the telephone before Salata's announcement.
Billy Devaney, the Rams' executive vice president of player personnel, said the Rams weren't considering Woodhead with their final pick.
"We had no contact with that guy," Devaney said.
Mr. Irrelevant will receive a hero's welcome in Newport Beach, including a parade in his honor and a banquet where he'll be presented with the Lowsman Trophy, which shows a player fumbling the ball off his knee in stark contrast to the victorious pose on the Heisman Trophy,
There's also an abundance of gifts including a Rolex watch from a local jeweler and a one-day pass to Disney World.
Vobora said Rams coach Scott Linehan told him that he wasn't Mr. Irrelevant to the Rams.
"He said, 'You're going to have a great opportunity,"' Vobora said. "He said, 'All this Mr. Irrelevant stuff, don't pay too much attention to that. I think you can help us. You come with a history of where I've been, and I think we're going to mesh well."'
Linehan played quarterback for Idaho. Rams assistant secondary coach Mike Cox, who traveled to Moscow, Idaho, to put Vobora through a private workout, played linebacker for Idaho.
"That was the only knock on David Vobora, the level of competition, how do you get past that?" Devaney joked of Vobora's Idaho roots.
The Rams have only eight linebackers on their roster, including Vobora and Tulsa's Chris Chamberlain, who both were chosen in the seventh round on Sunday.
"Both Chamberlain and Vobora are production-city types of guys," Linehan said. "Lots of tackles, perfect for special teams, guys who can make an impact because they can run and chase and get guys on the ground."
The 6-foot-1, 236-pound Vobora had 148 tackles and 6 1/2 sacks last season for the Vandals.
"I'm a player who is always around the football," Vobora said. "I have a nose for the game and for the football. I'm heady player. I use my head to make sure I'm never out of position and I can make plays."
Vobora said that he had expected to be drafted sooner than he was.
"I felt like I had a good postseason and I did some things to really help myself out," said Vobora, who was timed at 4.71 seconds in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. "I had a great workout with the Rams. I hoped that it would give me an opportunity to go a little higher, but it's an opportunity, and that's what I wanted. This is a great chance."
Contact reporter Steve Korte at skorte@bnd.com or 239-2522.
