NFL draft: Tennessee Vols' Josh Malone selected by Bengals in fourth round

Josh Malone may be soft spoken, but that doesn’t mean he lacks confidence.

Malone believed he was one of the best receivers in this year’s NFL draft class and wanted a chance to prove it.

Opting to leave Tennessee early after a breakout junior season, Malone will get his chance with the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals selected Malone in the fourth round of the NFL draft on Saturday afternoon with the No. 128th pick overall.

Malone was the second Vols player selected on Day 3 of the draft and the fifth UT player drafted overall.

Malone is the first UT wide receiver selected since 2013 when Cordarelle Patterson and Justin Hunter were taken with picks No. 29 and No. 34 by the Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans, respectively.

The Gallatin native is the first Station Camp  graduate to be selected in the NFL draft in the school’s 15-year history.

"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," Malone told Bengals.com. "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."

Malone is coming off a career-best junior season, leading the Vols with 50 receptions for 972 yards and 11 touchdowns. The 11 receiving touchdowns tied for third-most in UT history and his 19.4 yards per reception was a single-season UT record for receivers with a minimum of 50 catches. Malone ranked third in the SEC in receiving yards and touchdowns.

Malone finished his three-year UT career with 104 receptions for 1,608 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Malone opened some eyes at the NFL combine by running a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash, which ranked third-best among receivers.

On the NFL Network draft broadcast, analyst Charles Davis, a former Vol, predicted Malone would have a better pro career than college career.