The Denver Broncos are off to an impressive—and surprising, to many—6-1 start in 2009.

 

While new head coach Josh McDaniels has played a significant role in Denver’s success, one of the holdovers from the Mike Shanahan era is proving he’s one of the league’s most explosive players regardless of who is running the show.

 

Wide receiver Eddie Royal wasn’t a player with whom too many Broncos fans were familiar when the team selected him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

 

The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Royal excelled at the collegiate level for Virginia Tech, finishing as the school’s leader in all-purpose yards (4,686), fourth in receptions (119), fifth in receiving touchdowns (12) and sixth in receiving yards (1,178).

 

Perhaps Royal made his biggest impact in college as a return specialist. He finished his Hokies career as the ACC’s all-time leader in punt return yards (1,296).

 

Despite that impressive production and a 40-yard dash time of 4.39 seconds at the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine, Royal wasn’t a first-round draft selection. He wasn’t the only one; zero wide receivers were taken in the first round that year and Royal was the fifth receiver drafted. The Broncos saw Royal’s tremendous upside, but couldn’t have expected the type of production he turned in as a rookie.

 

“I just wanted to come in and contribute,” Royal said. “It didn’t really matter to me where I was drafted. I just knew that if I performed to the best of my abilities then everything else would fall into place.

 

“Some people thought I should be drafted in the first round, but it really didn’t matter. No matter where I was drafted, I was determined to make the most of it. It worked out great because I landed in Denver. I’m thankful it worked out that way.”

 

Not only did Royal earn the starting job during training camp and the preseason, he took the NFL by storm in his regular-season debut, catching nine passes for 146 yards (16.2 average) and a touchdown in Denver’s 41-14 win over Oakland.

 

“I remember that game well,” Royal said. “There was a lot of hype associated with that game. It was the first Monday night game of the season. We were playing a divisional opponent, so I knew it was going to be a big game and knew I had to play big.”

 

Royal’s game was no fluke—it proved to be a sign of things to come. On the strength of four games with nine or more receptions, Royal finished his debut NFL season with 91 catches for 980 yards (10.8 average) and five touchdowns.

 

While he wasn’t voted to the Pro Bowl, Royal’s 91 receptions were second-most in NFL history for a rookie, behind only Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin (101).

 

Although he was confident in his ability to play at a high level in the NFL, Royal even surprised himself with his initial success in Denver.

 

“I just came in and worked hard,” Royal said. “My goal was to be the best teammate and the best player I could be. This was the organization that drafted me, so I didn’t want to let them down.”

 

Royal was determined to build on his rookie campaign this season, which started with its share of question marks after the Broncos traded Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler to Chicago in exchange for Kyle Orton and a few premium draft picks.

 

“I was in a little bit of shock. I can’t lie,” Royal said of the trade. “But that was something we had no control over, and that’s kind of the NFL for you. You have to adapt to change in this league if you want to be successful.”

 

McDaniels implemented a new offense that replaced Shanahan’s version of the West Coast system, and with Orton at quarterback, Royal has caught 20 passes for 158 yards (7.9 average) this season.

 

Denver’s offense ranks in the top 10 in the NFL, and the attention defenses are giving Royal has allowed Orton to get other players more involved on offense.

 

“Kyle and I have a very good relationship. We get along on and off the field,” Royal said. “On the field, he’s a hard worker, he studies a lot of film and he’s very vocal about what he wants. He sees things and he spreads the ball around to a lot of receivers.

 

“This is a team game. It’s not about individual stats. Regardless of where they ask me to play, I’m happy to do it as long as it’s going to help our team win. I’d much rather have wins over statistics.”

 

Last year, Royal averaged 26.1 yards per kickoff return and 10 yards per punt return. He didn’t find the end zone on special teams as a rookie, but has found it twice this season while averaging 23.9 yards per kickoff return and 11.8 yards per punt return.

 

In Denver’s game against San Diego on Oct. 19, Royal became the first player in Broncos history and the 11^th in league history to return a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown in the same regular-season game. Those two scores of 93 and 71 yards, respectively, were the difference in Denver’s 34-23 win over San Diego.

 

“Special teams is something I’ve always taken pride in dating back to high school,” Royal said. “My coaches instilled in me early the importance of special teams. I’ve just tried to carry that on to the NFL. Against the Chargers, we had a couple of opportunities and the guys did a great job of blocking for those scores. I have to give them the credit.”

 

Tonight, many eyes will be on Royal when the Denver Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” He’s just 21 starts into his NFL career, but Royal has already proven himself to be a player worth watching.