It is a shame that the National Football league is known better for its “bad boys” than its “good guys.” Oftentimes, the rare player who goes about his business like a professional and backs it up on the gridiron with toughness, heart, and determination goes unnoticed.

For Denver Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal, being the consummate professional is what he was raised to do. Royal is the youngest of seven children who were all raised by Pearl Royal, a single mother.

While it was tough for Pearl to raise these seven children all by herself, she never lost track of what was important in life. Her family consistently attended church, and she made every effort possible to avoid conflict. Still, it was noticeable that she was struggling to keep the family properly nourished.

Eddie states that he is “still amazed at how she provided dinner for us every single night.” 

Royal was always soft-spoken and rarely ever got into trouble. However, he struggled to earn good grades in high school.

According to an article written in the Rocky Mountain News, Royal was motivated to do well the final two years of high school due to the similar experience of his brother Chris, whose grades prevented him from a football career at Marshall University.

He soon found out that if he would just put a little more time into his studies, he could earn a scholarship to college to play football.

“I saw struggle and lived it, and I didn’t want to go through that. I didn’t want my family to go through that,” Royal said. “It kind of molded me into a hard worker.”

Lee Rasizer, formerly of the Rocky Mountain News, sums up Royal very well:

“Royal has a tendency to treat opponents the way he has chased his goals—sidestepping or taking them head-on, but ultimately getting to where he wanted to be.”

While the speedy receiver has always been considered undersized, he more than makes up for it with his heart and determination, as cliché as it may sound.

As if going through a rough childhood wasn’t humbling enough, Royal has also experienced other venues of turmoil. 

He attended high school with former Virginia Tech schoolmates who were killed in the tragic shooting in April of 2007, and his sister Christina is serving in Iraq.

He used all of that as determination on the football field, setting numerous ACC and Virginia Tech records as a wide receiver and return specialist. His play for the Hokies earned him a trip to the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, where he “wowed” scouts with his great hands and route-running skills.

Royal then continued his strong offseason with an eye-opening performance at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he led all wide receivers with 24 bench press reps at 225 pounds apiece.

His offseason was so impressive that former Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan chose him in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

Initially, Royal was projected to be primarily a return specialist and maybe a fourth receiver for the Broncos.

Quickly, he erased those expectations and created some of his own.

Royal was so impressive in the offseason camps and workouts that he was promoted all the way to the No. 2 wide receiver spot, behind Brandon Marshall. 

There was not a pass this kid could not handle.

He continued his impressive showing all the way through training camp and the preseason, and Broncos fans were eager to see how he would fill in for the suspended Brandon Marshall on Monday Night Football on opening weekend.

Not only did he fill in, he also made then-Raiders cornerback DeAngelo Hall look silly.

Royal had nine receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown in the Broncos’ 41-14 victory, capping off the most impressive rookie wide receiver debut in Broncos history.

Still, the rookie receiver was not satisfied. 

He called his mother directly after the game, not wanting praise or helium for an ego balloon; he wanted to know what he did wrong.

“It’s hard to do everything the right way,” Royal said. “That’s what drives me.”

Royal went on to have arguably the most impressive rookie season for any Denver Broncos wide receiver in team history. He finished the year with 91 receptions for 946 yards, and he also led the team in punt return yards and kick return yards.

Also, he was the only player on the team to record a pass attempt, rush attempt, reception, kick return, and punt return. 

In his second year in the NFL, Royal can only hope to improve on what was a fantastic first season. It is unfortunate that his contributions to the league have gone largely unnoticed due to the fact that Royal did not change his last name to “Diecinueve” or throw popcorn in his face when he scored a touchdown.

If I were a betting man, I would say Royal would not have it any other way.

 

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