The likeable prospect is a big fan of Broncos assistant offensive line coach Chris Kuper

INDIANAPOLIS — NFL Combine interviews for the top rookie prospects are set to go no longer than 15 minutes.

Dalton Risner was so captivating with the national press his interview approached 25 minutes before he finally had to get going to the bench press.

People from the small, eastern plains town of Wiggins, Colorado must have the gift of gap. They must make them big there, too. The 6-foot-5, 312-pound Risner is one of the best right tackle prospects in the upcoming NFL Draft, projected to go anywhere from the 20s in the first round to 40s in the second.

He got a kick out of getting interviewed by 9News, which apparently draws a nice rating in Wiggins.

"We have 800 to 1,000 people, no stop lights," Risner said. "It’s one gas station with the best chicken tenders in town, Stub’s Gas & Oil.

"We’re just a big community that has a passion for football and they’ve supported me the whole way. There’s a big dairy farm that I worked at growing up, Empire Dairy. Just great people in that town that I love so much. It’s an amazing community. I probably have texts from half the town of Wiggins right now."

Risner got here by way of playing Class 1A football for his father and high school coach Mitch Risner, followed by five years of playing for the legendary Bill Snyder at Kansas State. It took 15 football camps a summer, with mom and dad in tow, before he finally started getting a few college offers.

"K-State, once I got their offer coming from where I came from in Wiggins — a blue collar type of guy, a guy that likes to work hard and brings his lunch pail — as soon as Kansas State offered, and I saw the culture they had, it was a pretty easy decision," he said.

He’s 23 now so a little more mature than the other prospects. He thought about becoming eligible for the draft last year, but believes he’s a far more finished product now.

"I sat down with coach Bill Snyder and I said, ‘Coach, I’m thinking about coming out, what do you believe?’" Risner said. “He believed I should come back, as well as my offensive line coaches. He said I believe you can use another year to improve on your football skills, become a grown man, and mature more to play in the National Football League.

"That’s exactly what I did. And looking at the player that I was a year ago and the player that I am now, I’m so thankful that I came back (to school) for another year. I think I completely transformed whenever you watch my tape and it was really good for me."

Risner has had formal interviews with several teams here at the combine, but the Broncos are planning on an informal visit. Maybe the Broncos are playing coy because they currently have a vacancy at right tackle.