Patience is not one of Eddie Royal’s virtues.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Tech in 3 1/2 years, and he darted up the depth chart after the Denver Broncos selected him in the second round of the NFL draft.

In minicamp, he started out in the slot position but quickly learned to play flanker and split end, too. A week into training camp he surpassed free agents Darrell Jackson and Keary Colbert to earn a starting job opposite playmaker Brandon Marshall.

Starting is one thing for a rookie. Starring is quite another.

Royal caught nine passes for 146 yards in his dramatic debut, the best introduction by a Broncos rookie receiver since Rick Upchurch’s 153-yard performance against Kansas City in 1975.

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