Dalton Risner could be the Denver Broncos rookie MVP in 2019

The Denver Broncos have a stellar 2019 rookie class, but Dalton Risner could wind up being the most immediately valuable player.

The Denver Broncos have a very good rookie class coming in in 2019, but we know there will not be any immediate payoff from the Drew Lock pick unless Joe Flacco is hurt, and Noah Fant will probably be the third or fourth option in the passing game.

Those two factors help pave the way for Dalton Risner, the rookie offensive lineman out of Kansas State who is slated to start at left guard, to make the biggest immediate impact of any Broncos rookie this year.

Risner had the highest grade of any offensive tackle coming out in this year’s draft, yet he was the 10th offensive lineman selected in the 2019 draft.

The Broncos have such confidence in Risner that they are putting him in the left guard spot next to Garett Bolles, a player who has struggled to find his footing in his first two NFL seasons, instead of at right guard where he would be playing next to veteran Ja’Wuan James.

Denver’s coaching staff knows that Risner is going to be able to provide solid play wherever he’s slotted, and they have at least thought through some contingencies, to be certain.

https://twitter.com/Dalton_Risner66/status/1141506266327478273

Not only is Risner one of the starting five offensive linemen, he’s probably going to essentially double as the team’s swing tackle.

If one of Garett Bolles or Ja’Wuan James goes down with an injury — heaven forbid — my guess is that Risner would slide out to play either of those two tackle spots.

And he would probably excel there.

When the Broncos drafted Risner, I think they drafted one of the most NFL-ready players in the entire 2019 class. I don’t mean that just to hype up a Broncos pick, either. Risner was a three-time captain at Kansas State. He’s a coaches dream.

From snap to snap at Kansas State, I don’t know that you would be able to find a more consistently ‘good’ player. And there are plays mixed in where he plants guys in the dirt.

While Risner doesn’t stand out athletically compared to some other linemen, he looks every bit the part of an NFL player with great core strength (an issue for many guys coming in) and some of the strongest hands I’ve seen in evaluating players.

I think if an NFL team had drafted Risner to start at any of the five offensive positions, I would feel like that spot was taken care of.

And that’s exactly what Broncos fans are going to feel having him in the lineup — that his spot is always properly taken care of, and better because he’s playing there.

It’s because of that fact I feel Risner will be the Broncos’ rookie MVP in 2019.