Nelson Spruce

Nelson Gregory Spruce (born December 5, 1992) is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Colorado.

Nelson Spruce
refer to caption
Spruce with the Los Angeles Rams in 2017
No. 86, 5
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1992-12-05) December 5, 1992
Westlake Village, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Westlake
(Thousand Oaks, California)
College:Colorado
Undrafted:2016
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Spruce attended Westlake High School in Thousand Oaks, California.[1] He was rated a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com[2] and ESPN.com[3] and committed to play college football at Colorado.

College career

After redshirting his freshman season, Spruce led the Colorado Buffaloes in receptions (44) and receiving yards (446) his freshman season and proceeded to rack up 55 catches for 650 receiving yards his sophomore season. His breakthrough year came during his junior season in 2014 when he set 31 school records[4] as well as a Pac-12 record for receptions in a game with 19 against California.[5] As a senior in 2015, Spruce finished his college career by breaking the all-time Pac-12 receptions record in a game versus UCLA.[6]

During his time at Colorado, Spruce set or tied 43 school or conference records.[7]

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1+1⁄8 in
(1.86 m)		 206 lb
(93 kg)		 30 in
(0.76 m)		 10 in
(0.25 m)		4.69 s4.20 s7.09 s35 in
(0.89 m)		9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		12 reps
All values from NFL Combine[8]

Los Angeles Rams

After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, Spruce signed as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Rams[9] The rookie made a big impression in his first preseason game, catching six passes for 51 yards and a touchdown to help the Rams defeat the Dallas Cowboys 28–24 in the team's first game back in Los Angeles after relocating from St. Louis.[10] However, Spruce suffered a knee injury on the game-winning play and was out for the remainder of the preseason. Spruce made the Rams' regular season roster, but remained on the inactive list. After suffering an additional calf injury, Spruce was placed on injured reserve on November 18, 2016, ending his rookie season without making his regular season NFL debut.[11]

Spruce stayed with the Rams through the offseason program, and caught six passes against Dallas in the preseason opener, but he saw little action in the following weeks as he had to compete for a roster spot with newly arrived receivers Robert Woods, Sammy Watkins, Cooper Kupp, and Josh Reynolds.[12] On September 2, 2017, Spruce was waived/injured by the Rams and placed on injured reserve.[13] He was released by the team following an injury settlement two days later.

Chicago Bears

On October 16, 2017, Spruce was signed to the Chicago Bears' practice squad.[14]

Kansas City Chiefs

On March 30, 2018, Nelson was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs.[15] He was waived on May 8, 2018.[16]

Los Angeles Chargers

On May 14, 2018, Spruce signed with the Los Angeles Chargers.[17] He was waived on September 1, 2018.[18]

San Diego Fleet

On September 28, 2018, Spruce signed with the San Diego Fleet of the new Alliance of American Football.[19] During the third week of the AAF season against the San Antonio Commanders, Spruce caught four passes for 50 yards and two touchdowns in a 31–11 victory. Spruce had a season high 12 catches for 146 yards in week seven against the Arizona Hotshots. The league ceased operations in April 2019.[20] Spruce would finish fifth in the Alliance of American Football in receiving yards with 426 and second in receptions with 38.

Los Angeles Wildcats

Spruce was drafted in the 3rd round in the 2020 XFL Draft by the Los Angeles Wildcats.[21] In his first XFL game, Spruce caught 11 passes for 103 yards. In Week 2, he had six catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns, including a 44-yard pass.[22] By the time the 2020 XFL season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Spruce had only played in the first three out of a possible five games, but had caught 20 passes for 256 yards and 2 scores,[23] and was named to both the XFL mid-season awards list,[24] and was one of the highest rated receivers according to Pro Football Focus.[25] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020.[26]

Montreal Alouettes

Spruce signed with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL on January 22, 2021 but was released on July 17, 2021.[27]

References
  1. Sondheimer, Eric (September 12, 2010). "Thousand Oaks' Richard Mullaney, Westlake's Nelson Spruce can bowl over opponents". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  2. "Rivals.com". n.rivals.com. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  3. "Nelson Spruce - Football Recruiting - Player Profiles - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  4. "Nelson Spruce - 2011 Football Roster - CuBuffs.com | University of Colorado Athletics". www.cubuffs.com. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  5. "Nelson Spruce resets his Colorado reception record". Pac-12. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  6. "Spruce Sets Pac-12 Receptions Record - CuBuffs.com | University of Colorado Athletics". www.cubuffs.com. October 31, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  7. "Woelk: Spruce's Legacy Will Be More Than Numbers - CuBuffs.com | University of Colorado Athletics". www.cubuffs.com. December 4, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  8. "NFL Events: Combine Player Profiles - Nelson Spruce". www.nfl.com. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  9. "Rams' Nelson Spruce: Signs with Rams". CBSSports.com. May 3, 2016. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  10. "Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams 2016 PRE 1 - Game Center". NFL.com.
  11. "Rams Promote DB Blake Countess To Active Roster, Place WR Nelson Spruce On I.R." November 18, 2016.
  12. "From cult hero to possibly cut, beloved Rams receiver Nelson Spruce forges on". August 30, 2017.
  13. Han, Jamie (September 2, 2017). "Rams Announce Roster Moves". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on February 8, 2018.
  14. "Bears sign Nelson Spruce, release Jason Thompson". 247Sports.com. October 14, 2017.
  15. "Chiefs sign QB Matt McGloin, WR Nelson Spruce". USAToday.com. March 30, 2018.
  16. Williams, Charean (May 8, 2018). "Chiefs sign five undrafted free agents". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
  17. Henne, Ricky (May 14, 2018). "Chargers Sign WR Nelson Spruce". Chargers.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2018.
  18. Henne, Ricky (September 1, 2018). "Chargers Cut Roster Down to 53". Chargers.com.
  19. Nguyen, Alexander (September 28, 2018). "San Diego AAF Pro Football Team, the Fleet, Signs Former USD, Poway Star". Times of San Diego. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  20. Michael Rothstein, Seth Wickersham (June 13, 2019). "Inside the short, unhappy life of the Alliance of American Football". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 12, 2019.
  21. Bender, Bill (October 21, 2019). "XFL Draft picks 2019: Complete results, rosters, players for new football league". Sporting News. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  22. Reyes, Lorenzo (February 17, 2020). "XFL Week 2 winners and losers: As P.J. Walker and Cardale Jones thrive, other QBs struggle". USA Today. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
  23. "XFL Live Stats".
  24. "All-XFL Midseason Team".
  25. @XFL2023 (April 8, 2020). "The grades are in. ⁣⁣Take a look at the highest-graded players of the season according to @PFF" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". SeattleTimes.com. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  27. "Alouettes ink quarterbacks Philip Nelson and Broc Rutter". MontrealAlouettes.com. January 22, 2021. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
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