PHILADELPHIA — The Cincinnati Bengals selected former Tennessee wide receiver and VFL Josh Malone with the 128th overall pick during Saturday’s fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art at Eakins Oval.
VOLS DRAFTED BY CINCINNATI BENGALS
Cincinnati Bengals 1967-Pres.
- 1968: Bob Johnson – C, 1st Rd, 2nd pick
- 1968: Dewey Warren – QB, 6th Rd, 155th pick
- 1974: Haskel Stanback – RB, 5th Rd, 114th pick
- 1981: Hubert Simpson – RB, 10th Rd, 258th pick
- 1985: Carl Zander – LB, 2nd Rd, 43rd pick
- 1986: Tim McGee – WR, 1st Rd, 21st pick
- 1986: David Douglas – G, 8th Rd, 204th pick
- 1992: Carl Pickens – WR, 2nd Rd, 31st pick
- 2003: Kelley Washington – WR, 3rd Rd, 65th pick
- 2017: Josh Malone – WR, 4th Rd, 128th pick
Malone is the 10th Vol to be selected by the Bengals and the fourth receiver to be picked by the franchise, joining Tim McGee (first round, 21st overall in 1986), Carl Pickens (second round, 31st overall in 1992) and Kelley Washington (third round, 65th overall in 2003).
Malone is the first UT wide receiver to be picked in the NFL Draft since 2013 when Cordarrelle Patterson was selected in the first round (29th pick) by the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Hunter went to the Tennessee Titans in the second round (34th pick).
Malone ran an outstanding 4.40 in his 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was good for the third-best time among receivers. His 4.40 40-yard time was the fastest time by a Vol since VFL Robert Meachem clocked a 4.39 in at the 2007 NFL Scouting Combine.
In 2016, Malone posted career and team highs of 50 receptions, 972 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. His 972 receiving yards rank 10th in Tennessee single-season history and were the most by a Vol since Justin Hunter had 1,083 in 2012. He ranked third in the SEC in both receiving yards and touchdowns. His 11 receiving touchdowns tied for the third-most in UT history and were the most since Robert Meachem had 11 in 2006. Malone’s 19.4 yards per reception also set a new UT single-season record for receivers with a minimum of 50 catches. He finished his UT career with 104 receptions for 1,608 yards and 14 touchdowns and declared for the NFL Draft on Jan. 3.
Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver Josh Malone
“I feel like I’m a big target, and I also feel like I’m a balanced wide receiver. I pride myself on just being technically sound and just getting open. So hopefully I can be a big guy for them on third down, or if they need a big guy in the red zone to go get it, I can be another one of those guys for them.”
-UT Athletics
