| No. 95 – Houston Texans | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Defensive end | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | May 9, 1994 Augusta, Maine, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 250 lb (113 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | Kinston (Kinston, North Carolina) | ||||
| College: | Youngstown State | ||||
| NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 3 / Pick: 83 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 16, 2021 | |||||
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| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||||
Derek Rivers (born May 9, 1994) is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Youngstown State.[1][2]
Born in Augusta, Maine, Rivers and his family moved to North Carolina when he was five months old.[3] Rivers later attended Kinston High School in Kinston. After high school, he attended Fork Union Military Academy for a year.[4]
Rivers played at Youngstown State from 2013 to 2016. During his career he had a school record 41 career sacks, including 14 as a senior. He accumulated 56.5 tackles for loss, 47 QB hurries and 119 solo tackles in his college career at Youngstown State. As a Senior, Rivers lead one of the top statistically rated defenses in the FCS to the National Championship where they would lose to James Madison University 24-14. Rivers was a three time 1st Team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference performer as well as a two time FCS All-American. Rivers finished his career #5 All-Time in FCS history in career sacks.[5][6][7]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 3+5⁄8 in (1.92 m) |
248 lb (112 kg) |
32+3⁄4 in (0.83 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.61 s | 1.60 s | 2.66 s | 4.40 s | 6.94 s | 35 in (0.89 m) |
10 ft 3 in (3.12 m) |
30 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine[8] | ||||||||||||
Rivers was drafted by the New England Patriots in the third round, 83rd overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft.[9] During training camp, Rivers suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the season.[10] He was officially placed on injured reserve on September 2, 2017.[11] Rivers made his NFL debut in Week 3 of the 2018 season, against the Detroit Lions. In week 17 he recorded his first career sack when he took down Sam Darnold.[12] Rivers helped the Patriots reach Super Bowl LIII, although he was inactive, and the team defeated the Los Angeles Rams 13-3.[13] The following season (2019), Rivers suffered an injury in week 2 of the preseason, and was placed on injured reserve on August 31, 2019.[14]
Rivers made the 53-man roster coming out of 2020's shortened preseason, and was active in week 1, where he recorded his first sack since 2018. He was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the Patriots on October 17, 2020,[15] and activated on October 21.[16] On November 21, 2020, Rivers was waived by the Patriots.[17]
On November 23, 2020, Rivers was claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Rams.[18]
On March 23, 2021, Rivers signed with the Houston Texans.[19] He was released on August 31, 2021 and re-signed to the practice squad.[20][21] He was promoted to the active roster on November 24.[22] On December 9, the Texans signed Rivers to a two-year, $1 million deal that runs through the 2022 season.[23]
On August 30, 2022, Rivers was placed on injured reserve with a torn biceps tendon.[24]
Rivers re-signed with the Texans on March 16, 2023.[25]