Tretola Goes to Tennessee Titans in Sixth Round

CHICAGO – Arkansas offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola became the fourth Razorback taken in the 2016 NFL Draft Saturday afternoon when he was selected in the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick by the Tennessee Titans.

Tretola becomes the 62nd Razorback in program history selected as an offensive lineman in the NFL Draft, dating back to 1939, and the first since 2014 when Travis Swanson was selected in the third round (76th overall) by the Detroit Lions.

In 10 seasons as a head coach, Bret Bielema has seen 11 of his offensive lineman taken in the NFL Draft. Bielema’s career total of NFL Draft picks now stands at 38 with Tretola becoming the fourth member of this year’s class from Arkansas. Tight end Hunter Henry was selected by the San Diego Chargers, while running backs Jonathan Williams (Buffalo Bills) and Alex Collins (Seattle Seahawks) went in the fifth round.

Tretola started all 13 games at left guard this season and made 24 consecutive starts at the position to close out his two-year career as a Razorback. The co-recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, given annually by Southeastern Conference (SEC) coaches to the league’s best offensive lineman, Tretola graded out at more than 80 percent in 10 of 13 contests this season and led the team with an 84 percent overall grade. Over 901 offensive snaps played in 2015, he led the team with 75 knockdowns and was flagged for just one penalty. Tretola allowed only a half sack in his career, helping the Razorbacks lead the SEC in fewest sacks allowed each of his two seasons.

An NFL Combine and Senior Bowl participant, the San Bernardino, California, native was named a first team All-American by Sports Illustrated and an All-America second team choice by the Associated Press, Sporting News and Athlon. He also was a consensus All-SEC first team choice.

Arkansas led the SEC for the third consecutive season in fewest sacks allowed with just 14 sacks given up in 13 games. In addition, the Razorbacks led the SEC with five 200-yard rushing games in league play after combining for just five in the past two seasons. Arkansas was tops in the SEC with 34.4 points per conference game, and quarterback Brandon Allen became the third player in Arkansas history to throw for 3,000 yards in a season.