On the final day of the draft, tight end Mychal Rivera became the fourth Tennessee product selected in the 2013 NFL Draft as he was taken in the sixth round by the Oakland Raiders with the 184th overall selection.
Rivera becomes the first tight end drafted since Luke Stocker went to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2011 NFL Draft.
The Valencia, Calif. native joins former Vol Denarius Moore on the Raiders roster as well as general manager Reggie McKenzie as Vols in the Raiders organization.
With four selections in the 2013 draft, the Vols have the most selections since six Vols were drafted in 2010.
The Vols’ 334 selections stand as the seventh-most of any program. Rivera is the first Vol selected to the Raiders since Moore in 2011.
In 2012, Rivera earned SEC coaches’ first-team honors, the first Tennessee tight end since Jason Witten in 2002 to do so. He also earned AP All-SEC second-team honors.
In his final year on Rocky Top, Rivera set the tight end record for receiving yards in a single-season by a Tennessee tight end with 562 yards, surpassing the Dallas Cowboys’ Witten, who had 493 in 2002 with the Vols.
Rivera closed his senior season with catches in 18 consecutive games. He posted career-highs with 10 catches for 129 yards against Missouri and had five receiving touchdowns as part of his career-best 36 catches.
