Luke Stocker drafted by Tampa Bay

Former Tennessee tight end Luke Stocker (2007-10) became the first Vol taken in the 2011 NFL Draft when the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected him Saturday in the fourth round with the 104th overall pick.

Stocker became the first UT tight end to be selected since Brad Cottam was picked 76th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in 2008. He is the seventh Vol tight end to be drafted all-time.

The 2011 Senior Bowl selection set the UT record along with Denarius Moore for most games played by a position player with 52. In those games, Stocker caught 85 passes for 956 yards, including eight touchdowns. As a senior, the Berea, Ky., native recorded career highs with 39 catches for 417 yards, ranking third on the team in each category. Stocker was the only Vol with a reception in every game in 2010, including 11 with multiple catches.

A team captain last season, Stocker was a semifinalist for the 2010 Mackey Award, which honors the nation’s top tight end. Stocker earned his undergraduate degree in sport management prior to the 2010 season and had began work on a second degree in recreation and leisure studies.

STOCKER DRAFT NOTES

· Seventh pick in the fourth round and 104th overall

· Third-highest selected Vol tight end in NFL Draft history (Jason Witten, 69th, 2003; Brad Cottom, 76th, 2008).

· Seventh UT tight end ever drafted and fourth since 2001 (David Martin, 2001; Jason Witten, 2003; Brad Cottam, 2008).

· Fourth tight end taken in this year’s NFL Draft.

· 328th NFL draft pick from UT, which ranks as the most among SEC schools.

· 61st Vol drafted since 2000, which currently ranks second in the SEC.

· Only Vol on currently constructed Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster.