Xavier Smith says injured Rams veteran, mentor is irreplaceable

The Los Angeles Rams have a wide receiver room loaded with talent. Obviously, Puka Nacua and Davante Adams are at the top of the depth chart, but they're followed up by some great depth.

Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington, Xavier Smith and Konata Mumpfield round out the group, and they've all helped this team on their way to a 9-3 start through 13 weeks.

While Atwell has been on injured reserve due to a hamstring injury, Smith spoke about his relationship with the former second-round pick during his media availability.

"I always tell people, when I first came out, he was one of the first guys who took me under his arms and wanted to see my potential and just wanted me to learn the offense," Smith said. "Ever since my first day, he's been a guy that's kind of led the way for me. I watch him do what he does on a consistent basis, so when it's my time, I just want to kind of follow those same footsteps and do it just as good as he does."

What exactly does Atwell bring to the team?

"Just being that deep threat, that speed player but also the guy behind the scenes who's lifting everybody up, making sure everybody is playing that their highest level but bringing that energy, bringing that fun atmosphere," Smith explained. "A guy like that is irreplaceable. Whether he's making the plays on the field or off the field, [his injury] definitely taking a toll on this receiver room. He's behind the scenes right now, since he hasn't been on the field, but you could just see the love, the passion that we all play with. Having a guy like that in the room makes it a lot easier."

Atwell has just four receptions for 164 yard in his six games played this season, but his 88-yard touchdown with less than two minutes to go against the Indianapolis Colts earlier this season was the game-winning score.

It's interesting to hear just how much of a difference Atwell makes off the field for the guys in his locker room.

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This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Xavier Smith says injured Rams veteran, mentor is irreplaceable