ELON, N.C. -- Former Elon wide receiver Aaron Mellette, a seventh-round pick of the Baltimore Ravens in the 2013 NFL draft, has earned a spot on the squad's 53-man roster following training camp.

In the Ravens' four preseason games, the Sanford, N.C., native caught nine passes for 140 yards.  Mellette's first two receptions of his career both went for touchdowns - a 21-yard score in the preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a 40-yard TD grab the following week against the Atlanta Falcons.

Mellette and the Ravens open the 2013 NFL season on the road Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern against the Denver Broncos.

Mellette was a first-team All-Southern Conference selection by both the league's coaches and media members and placed eighth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented  annually to the top player in the Football Championship Subdivision in 2012. Mellette ended the season with a league-leading 108 points and 18 receiving touchdowns. Mellette's 18 touchdown catches are tied for the second-most ever in a single season in SoCon history.  In his senior year, Mellette caught 97 passes for 1,398 yards.  He led the SoCon and ranked second nationally in both receptions per game (8.82) and receiving yards per game (127.09) following the regular season.  He eclipsed 100 receiving yards in eight of Elon's 11 contests, including matching career-highs with 237 yards and three touchdowns against Appalachian State on Oct. 6.  Mellette posted a six-game span in which he caught at least two touchdowns.

Following his senior season, Mellette also collected All-America honors from The Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, The Sports Network/Fathead.com, College Sporting News, Phil Steele and College Sports Journal.

Mellette finished his career at Elon with 304 receptions for 4,254 yards and 44 touchdowns.

The last Elon player to earn a roster spot with an NFL squad following final cuts was linebacker Chad Nkang who played with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2007 and 2008.