With the No. 228 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders have selected Oklahoma State wide receiver Marcell Ateman.
A big-bodied receiver who developed into a mainstay of the offense in 2015 after he spent his first two seasons finding his way. Emerged as one of the nation's most dangerous receivers in 2017 after missing the 2016 season due to an injury sustained during summer workouts.
2017 (Senior): Earned second-team All-Big 12 recognition from the league's coaches ... An Academic All-Big 12 second-team selection as well ... Ranked second on the team with 59 receptions, 1,156 receiving yards and eight receiving touchdowns ... Played a vital role on the Cowboy offense in all 13 games and started 10 times ... A key cog for the first offense in Big 12 history to have a 4,000-yard passer (Mason Rudolph), a 1,000-yard rusher (Justice Hill) and two 1,000-yard receivers (Ateman and James Washington) ... Formed the nation's most prolific pass-catching duo with James Washington, as their combined 6,938 career receiving yards is 756 yards better than second place (Washington and Jalen McCleskey - 6,182) and 1,238 yards more than the first non-OSU duo (Memphis' Anthony Miller and Phil Mayhue - 5,700) ... Ranked third in the Big 12 and 13th in the nation with 1,156 receiving yards ... Among Power Five conference players with a minimum of 50 receptions, Ateman ranked second in the country (behind only Biletnikoff Award-winning teammate James Washington) by averaging 19.59 yards per reception ... Was the Cowboys' top target in crucial situations, such as third and fourth down ... Targeted 25 times on third down and recorded 15 catches, 13 of which went for first downs and four that resulted in touchdowns ... 11 of his 15 third down receptions came in 3rd-and-long situations ... Also caught three of his team-high four targets on fourth down, securing two first downs and scoring one touchdown for the Pokes ... Recorded a catch in every game, and hauled in at least four passes in every game except for the Cowboys' trip to West Virginia ... Surpassed the 100-yard mark seven times, which included a four-game stretch during the heart of the season ... His 10 career 100-yard performances are the fifth most in program history ... One of five Cowboys to surpass 100 yards receiving in a single game, and one of four to do so multiple times ... Had a season high 119 receiving yards against Baylor ... Recorded a season-long 69-yard touchdown catch on a 3rd and 11 that gave the Cowboys a 21-0 lead over Pittsburgh ... Hauled in a 30-yard touchdown with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter at Iowa State to tie the game at 42-42 ... Also snagged a 38-yard touchdown against Baylor ... Hauled in five passes for 107 yards against Virginia Tech in the Camping World Bowl ... Had 20 receptions of at least 20 yards, 13 of which went for at least 30 yards and three that were at least 60 yards in length ... Ranks sixth in OSU history with 2,466 career receiving yards and fourth with a 16.89 yards-per-catch average ... Named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List halfway through the season ... Graduated in December 2017 with a double degree in university studies (agriculture) and agricultural leadership.
2016: Redshirt.
2015 (Junior): Played in every game and started all but one ... Became one of the Cowboys' most explosive bigplay threats, logging 33 catches of at least 10 yards and 11 catches of at least 20 yards, including OSU's longest play of the year on an 82-yard touchdown catch vs. TCU, which ranks as the seventh longest receiving play in school history ... OSU's third-leading receiver in both yards (766) and catches (45) ... Second on the team with five receiving touchdowns ... His five-catch, 70-yard performance against Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl was the best among Cowboy receivers ... Logged career highs in catches (8) and receiving yards (132) at Iowa State ... Named OSU's offensive player of the game against Iowa State and against Central Michigan ... Made six catches for 101 yards vs. Kansas State, including a key grab on 4th and 8 to keep the Cowboy offense on the field for a game-winning field goal in OSU's 36-34 win.
2014 (Sophomore): Played in every game except the regular season finale at Oklahoma and started seven times ... Finished fifth on the team in receptions (20) and sixth in receiving yards (268) ... His best day came against Texas Tech, when he set career highs with six catches for 130 yards ... His next-best performances came against UTSA the week before (four catches for 70 yards) and against Iowa State the week after (three catches for 33 yards) ... Caught at least one pass in eight regular season games.
2013 (Freshman): Played in every game as a freshman ... Finished fifth on the team in receptions (22) and receiving yards (276) ... Grabbed a career-high four catches both at UTSA and in the Cotton Bowl against Missouri ... Tallied more than 40 receiving yards in four games, including a career-best 53 in a win over Kansas ... His 51-yard catch against Baylor was the longest of his career and anchored a 99-yard touchdown drive to put the Cowboys up 7-0 in their upset of the No. 3 Bears ... Also tallied 46 yards against Lamar and 40 at UTSA.
High School: Coached by Joe Lepsis ... Made 84 catches for 1,584 yards and 27 touchdowns as a senior ... Participated in the 2012 Offense-Defense All-America Bowl ... A four-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com ... Ranked by Scout.com as the nation's No. 25 receiver ... A first-team all-area selection by the Dallas Morning News ... Made 67 catches for 1,047 yards with 10 touchdowns as a junior ... Made 32 catches for 479 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore ... Also played basketball, where he earned all-district recognition ... Assisted with his school's Peer Assistance Leadership Program ... Carried scholarship offers from Arkansas, Michigan, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas Tech, among numerous others.
Personal: Marcell Ligon Ateman was born Sept. 16, 1994, in Dallas ... Son of Ronald and Arlene Ateman ... Father played basketball at Western Illinois ... Majoring in university studies/agricultural sciences and natural resources.
