Los Angeles Rams: Nelson Spruce shines bright on big stage

The Los Angeles Rams made a phenomenal comeback against the Dallas Cowboys in their preseason opener, and Nelson Spruce shined the brightest…

In the Los Angeles Rams’ preseason opener, it wasn’t the first overall pick that shined brightest on a relatively big stage for an exhibition matchup. It was undrafted wide receiver Nelson Spruce, an unheralded player out of Colorado who came seemingly out of nowhere to become a go-to target in the clutch and help the Rams get off to a winning start.

Spruce was an incredibly productive receiver the last few years for the Colorado Buffaloes football program, but no one really noticed because of the lack of success they had as a team.

He caught 294 passes for 3,347 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career, but he didn’t post elite numbers at the Scouting Combine and was cast aside as just another productive college player who might get a shot in training camp.

The Rams gave him that shot, and so far, he’s making the most of it. Spruce looked phenomenal in the opener against the Cowboys, getting involved in a number of different ways as a receiver, leading all players in receiving yards for the game with 51 on six catches.

It was a phenomenal performance by Spruce in his first game as a professional, and it left the kind of impression that has people thinking he’ll make this Rams roster as an undrafted player and perhaps play a role this season.

Sometimes, being a great football player goes beyond the metrics and the analytics and all of the different ways we try and justify great athletes against guys who can just play the game well.

Sprice is one of those. He’s a football player. He gets the job done, and while it might not always be flashy, he’s going to be consistent and productive, and there’s not much more the Rams could ask for at this point.