Mychal Rivera facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mychal Rivera

Rivera with the Oakland Raiders in 2014
No. 81
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(1990-09-08) September 8, 1990 (age 34) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	245 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:	Birmingham (Los Angeles, California)
College:	Tennessee
NFL Draft:	2013 / Round: 6 / Pick: 184
Career history
Oakland Raiders (2013–2016) Jacksonville Jaguars (2017)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-SEC (2012)
Career NFL statistics
Receptions: 146 Receiving yards: 1,413 Receiving touchdowns: 10
Player stats at PFR

Mychal Rashawn Rivera, born on September 8, 1990, is a former professional American football player. He played as a tight end. Mychal played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers. The Oakland Raiders picked him in the 2013 NFL draft.

Early Life and High School Football

Mychal Rivera was born in Los Angeles, California. His parents are George and Yolanda Rivera. Mychal has a mix of Puerto Rican, African American, and German heritage.

Even though he lived in Valencia, California, he played high school football for Birmingham High School. This school is in Lake Balboa, California. In 2007, during his senior year, he caught 21 passes for 210 yards. He also scored 3 touchdowns. His team, the Patriots, had a great record of 13 wins and only 1 loss. They won the West Valley League championship. Experts rated him as a 3-star player. He was ranked the 39th best tight end for his class.

College Football Journey

Mychal first planned to play for the Oregon Ducks in 2008. However, the coach asked him to play on the offensive line instead. Mychal then decided to leave and find another team.

For the 2009 season, he played at College of the Canyons. This is a junior college in Santa Clarita, California. There, he caught 32 passes for 316 yards and scored 3 touchdowns.

Playing for the Tennessee Volunteers

In January 2010, Mychal decided to join the Tennessee Volunteers. He liked that the new coach, Derek Dooley, used tight ends a lot in his team's plays.

In the 2010 season, Mychal played in all 13 games. He caught 11 passes for 112 yards. In one important game against Ole Miss, he caught a 26-yard pass. This helped keep a key play going. His best game that season was against Memphis, where he caught 3 passes for 29 yards.

Mychal started all 12 games for the Volunteers in 2011. He caught 29 passes for 344 yards and scored one touchdown. He was among the top three tight ends in his league for both catches and yards. Against Florida, he had 5 catches for 71 yards. This included an 18-yard touchdown catch. He also caught 5 passes for 85 yards against Georgia.

Before the 2012 season, Mychal was named to the Pre-Season All-SEC Third-team. He started in 10 out of 12 games that year. He caught 36 passes for 562 yards and 5 touchdowns. He broke a team record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season. This record was previously held by Jason Witten. Mychal also became one of only two Tennessee tight ends to gain over 1,000 career receiving yards.

In a game against Florida, he caught 4 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown. Against Georgia, he caught 3 passes for 82 yards. This included his longest catch ever, a 62-yard play. He had an amazing game against Missouri, catching 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. After this great season, he was named All-SEC by sports experts.

Professional Football Career

Mychal Rivera was chosen by the Oakland Raiders in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was the 11th tight end picked that year.

Playing for the Oakland Raiders

2013 Season

Mychal started his first season as a backup tight end. In his first game, he caught two passes for 26 yards. On September 29, 2013, he scored his first career touchdown. It was an 18-yard pass. The next week, he started his first game against the San Diego Chargers. On November 17, 2013, he caught a season-high five passes for 54 yards. He also scored his second touchdown. Mychal played in all 16 games that season, starting 3 of them. He finished with 38 catches, 407 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns.

2014 Season

Mychal began his second season as a starting tight end. He shared this role with another player, David Ausberry. In the first game, he caught three passes for 31 yards. On November 2, 2014, he had his best game yet. He caught 8 passes for 38 yards and scored two touchdowns. The next week, he caught 6 passes for 64 yards and another touchdown. On December 7, 2014, Mychal caught 7 passes for a career-high 109 receiving yards and a touchdown. He ended his second season with 58 catches, 534 receiving yards, and 4 touchdowns. He started 10 games and played in all 16.

2015 Season

After a strong 2014 season, many thought Mychal would be the main starting tight end. However, the Raiders brought in a new player and drafted another tight end. Mychal started the season as a backup. On November 15, 2015, he had one of his best games that season. He caught six passes for 46 yards. In a game against the Denver Broncos, he caught 3 passes for 49 yards and scored his only touchdown of the season. In his third year, Mychal had 32 catches for 280 yards and one touchdown. He played in all regular season games but did not start any.

2016 Season

For the 2016 season, another player was set to be the starting tight end. The Raiders reportedly tried to trade Mychal. Since they couldn't find a trade partner, they kept him for the last year of his contract.

Mychal didn't catch a pass until Week 4. On October 30, 2016, he had his best game of the season. He made 3 catches for 36 yards and scored his first touchdown of the year. He finished the 2016 season with 18 catches for 192 yards and one touchdown. He played in 13 games and started two.

Joining the Jacksonville Jaguars

On March 22, 2017, Mychal Rivera signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. This meant he was reunited with a former high school and college teammate, Malik Jackson. On September 1, 2017, Mychal was placed on injured reserve because of a hand injury. The Jaguars decided not to keep him for the next season, and he became a free agent in February 2018.

Mychal Rivera's Career Statistics

Regular Season Games

Playoff Games

Personal Life and Family

Mychal Rivera was born in Los Angeles, California. He has a mixed background of Puerto Rican, African American, and German heritage. His mother, Yolanda Rivera, used to be a model. His father is George Rivera.

Mychal has an older sister named Naya Rivera (1987–2020). She was a famous actress and singer. She was best known for playing Santana Lopez on the TV show Glee. Mychal also has a younger sister, Nickayla Rivera, who was born in 1994 and is a runway model.