Westlake High product Nelson Spruce trying to make it with Rams

With hundreds of local high school coaches at the Rams’ organized team activities Friday, Jim Benkert thought he’d blend into the crowd.

There was a steady buzz as coaches rapped about their upcoming seasons. Some jotted notes on the team rosters that were distributed. Others shuffled up and down the field to steal glances at the more notable players: defensive tackle Aaron Donald, running back Todd Gurley, first-overall pick Jared Goff.

But Benkert kept his eyes trained on Nelson Spruce. He was probably the only visiting coach keeping close tabs on an undrafted free agent. He was also the only visiting coach watching his former player try to make the Rams.

“I really felt like a proud papa,” said Benkert, who coached Spruce at Westlake High School and now heads the varsity team at Oaks Christian. “I wasn’t sure if he’d see me, but I was watching him.”

The last time Spruce was playing in front of all those high school coaches, he couldn’t attract the attention of local colleges such as USC or UCLA. He had some contact, but apparently wasn’t big or fast enough, and his only Pacific-12 offer came from Colorado. He took it, and five years later he’s the conference’s all-time leading receiver and has an NFL dream in sight.

And the path to that dream is cutting straight through his backyard.

“I feel like I’ve always been a bit under the radar,” Spruce, who grew up 30 minutes from the Oxnard facility, said Friday. “There’s something in me that always wants to prove everybody wrong.”

That started at Westlake, where Spruce excelled in football and baseball but took long strides instead of short, quick steps. Benkert thinks it was Spruce’s lack of blazing speed that kept bigger schools away. So he redshirted at Colorado before starting, and shining, for four years.

Spruce’s college totals — 294 receptions, 3,347 receiving yards, 23 touchdowns, 10 or more yards per catch each season — show that a wide receiver can be effective without notable size or speed.

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“If you’re not going to wow with your athleticism, you need to do everything else,” Benkert said. “Nelson made himself into a complete player because he had to.”

There’s been a lot for Spruce to adjust to, and think about, as OTAs continued Monday before wrapping up for the summer on Thursday.

All of his routes need to be more precise. The offense is similar to what he ran at Colorado with a lot more wrinkles. Since the Rams drafted two receivers and signed four as undrafted free agents, it’s easy for Spruce to survey the field and start counting spots.

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Nelson Spruce, an undrafted free-agent receiver with the Rams, explains his plan to make the final 53-man roster and the possibility of playing for his hometown team. 

But he mostly focuses on short-term goals, such as not dropping passes; such as running hard and with precision during relaxed skeleton drills designed to teach offensive concepts; such as not bobbling punts when fielding returns with fourth-round pick Pharoh Cooper and fourth-year receiver Tavon Austin. And when he gets opportunities with the second- or third-team offense, Spruce looks to be an option on every play.

It worked just enough to get to Colorado, then just enough to latch on to an NFL team. Next, Spruce will see if it’s enough to stick around.

“Whenever I see him out there he gets into space well and I try to put it on him,” said Goff, who trained with Spruce leading up to the draft. “He’s done a really good job so far.”

After making a catch in an early practice drill Friday, Spruce surprised Benkert by spotting him from the field.

They made eye contact and Spruce offered a subtle nod. Benkert subtly nodded back. Then Spruce dropped his head, jogged to the end of the line and prepared for the next rep.

“I feel like it’s a young group and not a lot of returning experience,” Spruce said. “So guys like me and the rest of the rookies, it’s just an opportunity to go out there and make the coaches notice us.”

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jesse.dougherty@latimes.com