Kansas State senior offensive tackle Dalton Risner and senior cornerback Duke Shelley have been named to the watch lists

Kansas State senior offensive tackle Dalton Risner and senior cornerback Duke Shelley have been named to the watch lists for the Outland Trophy and Bronko Nagurski Trophy, respectively, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) has announced.
 
Risner, a 2017 First Team All-American, is on the Outland Trophy watch list as the nation’s most outstanding interior lineman for a second-straight year. This year’s list consists of 82 players, including 23 offensive tackles.
 
Shelley is a preseason candidate for the Nagurski Trophy as the nation’s most outstanding defensive player for a third-straight season. It is the first time in school history a Wildcat has been up for the Nagurski Trophy three times in a career.
 
Aside from earning First Team All-American honors last year from Pro Football Focus (PFF), Risner was also a second-team pick from CBSSports.com. The Wiggins, Colorado, product started all 12 regular-season games at right tackle and graded out at a 98.9 mark on pass blocking efficiency to tie for the fourth highest among FBS tackles, according to PFF.
 
A 2018 Preseason All-Big 12 selection by the league’s media, Risner led the Wildcats to a tie for third place in school history in rushing yards per carry (4.98) a season ago, while they finished seventh in program history with 2,584 total rushing yards.
 
Shelley is a mainstay at cornerback, starting 30 games over the last three seasons. The Tucker, Georgia, product enter senior season tied for fourth in school history in career interception-return touchdowns with two, including one last year at Texas Tech to earn Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week honors following the Wildcats’ 42-35 overtime win.
 
Shelley ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 13 passes defended as he went on to earn Honorable Mention All-Big 12 honors from the league’s coaches. He finished fifth on the team with 56 tackles, including a season-high seven at both Texas and Kansas.
 
Kansas State opens the 2018 season on Saturday, September 1, when it hosts South Dakota at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The 10th-annual K-State Family Reunion game, which begins at 6:10 p.m., will be shown world-wide on ESPN3.