Early life

Rivera was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of George and Yolanda Rivera. His father is of Puerto Rican descent and his mother is of half African American and German descent. He played high school football for Birmingham High School in Lake Balboa, where he caught 21 passes for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns as a senior in 2007 to help lead the Patriots to a 13-1 record and the West Valley League championship. He was rated a 3-star prospect, and ranked the 39th overall tight end by Rivals.com for the 2007 class.

College career

Rivera initially signed with Oregon for the 2008 season. After he was asked to move to offensive line by Ducks coach Chip Kelly, however, he requested and received a release from his scholarship. For the 2009 season, he played for the College of the Canyons, a junior college in Santa Clarita, catching 32 passes for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns.

In January 2010, Rivera committed to the Tennessee Volunteers, having been drawn to the school by the emphasis on tight ends in the offensive scheme of newly hired head coach Derek Dooley. He played in all 13 games in the 2010 season, collecting 11 catches for 112 yards. Against Ole Miss, he caught a 26-yard pass on a 3-and-13 to keep a critical drive alive. His season-best was 3 catches for 29 yards against Memphis.

Rivera started all 12 games for the Vols in 2011. He caught 29 passes for 344 yards and a touchdown, placing third among SEC tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards. Against Florida, he had 5 catches for 71 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown reception. He caught 5 passes for 85 yards against Georgia.

Named to the Pre-Season All-SEC Third Team prior to the 2012 season, Rivera started in 10 of 12 games. He caught 36 passes for 562 yards and 5 touchdowns, breaking the single-season team record set by Jason Witten for most receiving yards by a tight end, and joining Reggie Harper as one of two Tennessee Volunteers tight ends with more than 1,000 career receiving yards. Rivera caught 4 passes for 47 yards and a touchdown against Florida. He caught 3 passes for 82 yards against Georgia, including a career-long 62-yard reception. Against Missouri, he caught 10 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown. Following the season, he was named All-SEC by both CBSSports and the SEC coaches, and All-SEC Second Team by the Associated Press.

Professional career

2013 NFL Draft

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	Arm length	Hand size	40-yd dash	10-yd split	20-yd split	20-ss	3-cone	Vert	Broad	BP
6 ft 3 in	242 lb	32 5/8 in	10 1/4 in	4.78 s	1.66 s	2.69 s	4.43 s	7.17 s	31.0 in	9 ft 4 in	17 reps

Oakland Raiders

Rivera was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the 6th round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He caught his first career touchdown, an 18-yard score, in the Raiders' loss to the Washington Redskins on September 29, 2013. Rivera suffered a concussion following a helmet-to-helmet hit by Michael Griffin in the Raiders' loss to the Tennessee Titans on November 24, 2013.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]