Browns: 3 XFL names to watch out for after Houston drubbed Los Angeles
By Chad Porto
Los Angeles Wildcats – WR Nelson Spruce
Nelson Spruce was arguably the only player for the Los Angeles Wildcats who made a dent, catching 11 receptions for 103 yards. He averaged just under ten years a catch during the game. Considering starting quarterback Chad Kanoff completed barely-better than 50% of his throws (21 of 40), Spruce’s performance was even more impressive. He was responsible for catching half of all completed throws on the day but was held scoreless with Jordan Smallwood being the only player to catch a touchdown pass in the game.
Spruce is a tall target at 6’1 and has sure hands. He has a habit of having big games when targeted often. When he was with the San Diego Fleet of the AAF, he had a game of 12 receptions for 146 yards. He’s a high volume receiver and could be akin to a Brian Finneran type player where he can get space thanks to his height and be a red-zone target. Spruce was a 2x Second Team All Pac-12 during his time in Colorado and had brief stints in the NFL already as a practice squad player.
Several strong performances could be exactly what Spruce needs to get noticed by the NFL, namely the Browns. He’s not the fastest guy in the world, having a 4.79 40-yard dash, but he has sure hands and the size needed to be a target in the endzone and across the middle. The only thing holding him back from catching on with the Browns would be consistency. Will the Wildcats target him enough throughout the season for people to see what he can truly do with given opportunities?
Here’s hoping the LA Wildcats can keep themselves together enough for specific players to showcase their talents.