SE: Risner Stays Confident, Humble in Pre-NFL Draft Chaos
Apr 25, 2019 | Football, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Dalton Risner will be nervous when the NFL Draft begins on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). He may even be nervous when the second round begins on Friday.
To be clear, they will be nerves of excitement, of confidence and of pride. Risner, projected a first- or second-round pick by many, knows he will find out his NFL destination on one of these two days.
"That gives me strength throughout this whole process," Risner said in a phone interview last week. "I'm so excited to see where I end up. This has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid, so I'm just extremely thankful for every opportunity that I've been given. I'm so excited to see where I end up."
Risner could end up hearing his named called on Thursday, which would make him the first Wildcat drafted in the first round since Josh Freeman in 2009. In that scenario, Risner would also become the first Wildcat offensive lineman taken in the first round ever.
The Wiggins, Colorado native could land with his home-state Denver Broncos; he met with his childhood team in a pre-draft visit. Or, he could end up at any of the other 31 NFL teams he spoke to at the NFL Scouting Combine in March. The unknown brings unease.
"There's definitely nerves," Risner said. "I feel like anyone who told you there are no nerves is probably lying, but, at the same time, I'm confident in what I've done throughout this process, and I'm confident in what I've shared with people and showed for myself. I just have to have confidence in that.
"At the end of the day, I have confidence that God has a plan for me and confidence in my abilities. So, regardless of where I end up, I'm going to be proud of myself."
Risner's confidence comes from what the scouts and teams could have found out on Google.
He started 50 of his 51 games as a Wildcat — talented and durable. He earned Freshman All-American honors at center and First Team All-American recognition as a senior right tackle — talented and adaptable. He also received his third straight First Team All-Big 12 nod as a senior, a feat only three other offensive linemen in the conference's history have accomplished — Did I mention talented?
Even with all of this to talk about, Risner said he focused on other areas during interviews and meetings with teams.
"There are a lot of athletic linemen in this draft class," Risner said, "There are a lot of good players, but what do you bring to the table that's different?"
For him, a few things.
One, his leadership. He was a three-year captain at K-State, one of only five to do so in the program's history. He knows he can fit in with a good culture or help change a bad one, if needed.
Two, his work ethic. Risner said he came into K-State with a good drive but left a completely different person in that arena.
"The way that the strength coaches worked me and what Coach (Bill) Snyder demanded out of me, as well as my offensive line coach, Coach (Charlie) Dickey," Risner said, "I think they really transformed me as a man, showed me what hard work was and showed me what looking uncomfortable looked like, and pushed me to become a better player every day through five years."
Lastly, but certainly not in regard to its importance, Risner spoke to teams about his character and commitment to helping others. Because of a somewhat never-ending list of community service involvements, Risner was named a 2018 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Finalist. In his last season at K-State, he also started The RisnerUp Foundation.
Risner's service to others has not stopped, either, even as his draft stock rose and his focus toward his career could have gotten in the way.
He held an autograph signing in March to benefit the Special Olympics in Manhattan, an event he pushed on social media to raise more money. A few weeks ago, when taking a flight out of Manhattan, the 6-foot-5, 312-pound Risner gave up his first-class seat to a soldier — an example not found on social media but one that Risner did admit to after K-State Sports Extra learned of it from another passenger the same flight.
"That's something I take pride in," Risner said. "I come from humble beginnings and I'm a humble guy. I want to go accomplish big things, but this game of football doesn't make me better than anyone else. I've just kept my head on throughout this whole deal, realized that playing a game with a leather ball doesn't make me any better than anybody else and my purpose here on Earth is much greater than just playing football."
Dalton Risner will be nervous when the NFL Draft begins on Thursday at 7 p.m. (CT). He may even be nervous when the second round begins on Friday.
To be clear, they will be nerves of excitement, of confidence and of pride. Risner, projected a first- or second-round pick by many, knows he will find out his NFL destination on one of these two days.
"That gives me strength throughout this whole process," Risner said in a phone interview last week. "I'm so excited to see where I end up. This has been a dream of mine ever since I was a little kid, so I'm just extremely thankful for every opportunity that I've been given. I'm so excited to see where I end up."
Risner could end up hearing his named called on Thursday, which would make him the first Wildcat drafted in the first round since Josh Freeman in 2009. In that scenario, Risner would also become the first Wildcat offensive lineman taken in the first round ever.
The Wiggins, Colorado native could land with his home-state Denver Broncos; he met with his childhood team in a pre-draft visit. Or, he could end up at any of the other 31 NFL teams he spoke to at the NFL Scouting Combine in March. The unknown brings unease.
"There's definitely nerves," Risner said. "I feel like anyone who told you there are no nerves is probably lying, but, at the same time, I'm confident in what I've done throughout this process, and I'm confident in what I've shared with people and showed for myself. I just have to have confidence in that.
"At the end of the day, I have confidence that God has a plan for me and confidence in my abilities. So, regardless of where I end up, I'm going to be proud of myself."
Risner's confidence comes from what the scouts and teams could have found out on Google.
He started 50 of his 51 games as a Wildcat — talented and durable. He earned Freshman All-American honors at center and First Team All-American recognition as a senior right tackle — talented and adaptable. He also received his third straight First Team All-Big 12 nod as a senior, a feat only three other offensive linemen in the conference's history have accomplished — Did I mention talented?
Even with all of this to talk about, Risner said he focused on other areas during interviews and meetings with teams.
"There are a lot of athletic linemen in this draft class," Risner said, "There are a lot of good players, but what do you bring to the table that's different?"
For him, a few things.
One, his leadership. He was a three-year captain at K-State, one of only five to do so in the program's history. He knows he can fit in with a good culture or help change a bad one, if needed.
Two, his work ethic. Risner said he came into K-State with a good drive but left a completely different person in that arena.
"The way that the strength coaches worked me and what Coach (Bill) Snyder demanded out of me, as well as my offensive line coach, Coach (Charlie) Dickey," Risner said, "I think they really transformed me as a man, showed me what hard work was and showed me what looking uncomfortable looked like, and pushed me to become a better player every day through five years."
Lastly, but certainly not in regard to its importance, Risner spoke to teams about his character and commitment to helping others. Because of a somewhat never-ending list of community service involvements, Risner was named a 2018 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Finalist. In his last season at K-State, he also started The RisnerUp Foundation.
Risner's service to others has not stopped, either, even as his draft stock rose and his focus toward his career could have gotten in the way.
He held an autograph signing in March to benefit the Special Olympics in Manhattan, an event he pushed on social media to raise more money. A few weeks ago, when taking a flight out of Manhattan, the 6-foot-5, 312-pound Risner gave up his first-class seat to a soldier — an example not found on social media but one that Risner did admit to after K-State Sports Extra learned of it from another passenger the same flight.
"That's something I take pride in," Risner said. "I come from humble beginnings and I'm a humble guy. I want to go accomplish big things, but this game of football doesn't make me better than anyone else. I've just kept my head on throughout this whole deal, realized that playing a game with a leather ball doesn't make me any better than anybody else and my purpose here on Earth is much greater than just playing football."
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