WAYNE--William Paterson wide receiver Joel Rivera will try out for the NFL’s New York Jets when the team conducts its Rookie Minicamp starting on April 30. Rivera, who completed his college career as a Pioneer this past fall, was named to the All-New Jersey Athletic Conference First Team for the second straight year after starting all 10 games during the 2009 season and catching 51 passes for 751 yards and nine touchdowns.

Rivera owns the program’s career receptions (159), yardage (2,209) and touchdowns (23) records, the single-season catches (74, 2008) and yardage (965, 2008) top marks, and the single-game receptions (16, 9/27/08 at Rowan) and yardage (226, 9/27/08 at Rowan) records after starting in 29 of 36 career games.

Invited to play in the 2009 Tazon de Estrellas (Bowl of the Stars) and the Division III Football Senior Classic All-Star Games, he ranked third this past fall in the NJAC in receptions/game (5.1) and receiving yards/game (75.1), sixth in all-purpose yardage (95.9 yards/game), tied for eighth in scoring/TDs (5.4 points/game), and tied for 11th in scoring (5.4 points/game). 

Rivera played professional baseball in the Milwaukee Brewers’ organization after being selected in the 15th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball Draft out of Hoboken High School. After spending two years in the minors, he elected to attend college, and walked on to the William Paterson football team in 2006 after not playing the sport since early in his scholastic career.