NFL: 25 wide receivers that should have been league MVP

(Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport)
(Mandatory Credit: Jed Jacobsohn /Allsport) /
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Los Angeles Rams
Wide receiver Isaac Bruce #80 of the Los Angeles Rams (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images) /

NFL wide receivers that should have been league MVP: 4. Isaac Bruce, 1995

Sometimes, Isaac Bruce falls outside of the memory banks when it comes to his impact on the field. He was on the Greatest Show on Turf, but he was overlooked because of Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk. He had a 14-year career with the St. Louis Rams, but people tend to remember Torry Holt more than him. He had a ridiculous 1995 season, but 1995 was the season of the ridiculous wide receiver.

Bruce actually had more than 1,700 yards in 1995. He only had 1,338 yards in 1996, but 96 is where he really stood out. He was actually the league leader in yards in 96. It was a massive drop-off for the position, but Bruce was still his normal great self.

Bruce had this ridiculous game against the Baltimore Ravens when he had 11 receptions for 229 yards and a touchdown. This whole ordeal led to Isaac Bruce finally making the Pro Bowl after he couldn’t even make it with his ridiculous season the year before.

Maybe putting Bruce this high in the rankings is making up for his lack of popularity when it comes to some of the best receivers of all time. He was crazy consistent, and he even posted 1,000 yard receiving seasons well into his 30s. However, on the surface, Bruce was able to survive the let down the rest of the 1995 receiving class did. He was still able to dominate on the field. He did it with a team that did about nothing on the field outside of him. He was scoring despite his team. He did this with Tony Banks and Steve Walsh as his quarterback.