It’s the round for the “good but not great,” the “project” or the “flyer.” The seventh and final round of the N.F.L. draft doesn’t unearth many superstars, but every once in a while it produces a gem, like Julian Edelman or Shannon Sharpe.

More often, the seventh round is where general managers do something off the wall, like select a long-snapper, or even a rugby player. The stakes are somewhat low, so teams are willing to gamble.

This year’s class, chosen on Saturday, included some nontraditional selections.

219. Danny Etling, QB, L.S.U., Patriots

The Patriots appeared set at quarterback last season, with the ageless Tom Brady ably deputized by the promising backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Then, although Brady is 40, the team inexplicably traded Garoppolo away, and he proceeded to play quite well for the 49ers.

Though Brady is still putting up good numbers and talks about playing for five more years, the team must know it will eventually need a successor. In this year of the quarterback, they passed in rounds 1 to 6, before settling on Etling.