Canadian WR Ayomanor to work out at NFL combine

Count Daniel Jeremiah among those looking forward to seeing Canadian receiver Elic Ayomanor work out at the NFL combine.

The six-foot-two, 210-pound Ayomanor, of Medicine Hat, Alta., will be among the receivers on the field Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Also auditioning before NFL coaches, general managers and scouts at that time will be quarterback and running back prospects.

Ayomanor and Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, of Oakville, Ont., were both invited to the combine. Rourke won't take part in testing or on-field drills as he recovers from off-season knee surgery but will be present to speak with teams personally.

"I think he's going to run really well," Jeremiah, NFL Network's draft analyst, said of Ayomanor during his pre-combine conference call. "He has excellent size.

"I'm excited to see him once we get to Indianapolis."

Ayomanor, 21, registered 125 receptions for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns in 24 games at Stanford — he didn't play in 2022 as a true freshman due to a serious knee injury. The Canadian made headlines across North America on Oct. 13, 2023 when he recorded 13 catches for a school-record 294 yards and three TDs in rallying the Cardinal to a stunning 46-43 overtime win over the Colorado Buffaloes.

Stanford erased a 29-0 halftime deficit with the biggest comeback in school history while handing Colorado its largest blown lead ever. Ayomanor did all of his damage in the second half and overtime and while two of his TD catches covered 97 and 60 yards, it was a 30-yard scoring grab that drew the most attention.

With Stanford trailing 43-36 in the first overtime, Ayomanor reached around Colorado's Travis Hunter and pinned the ball against Hunter's helmet while running backwards into the end zone for a game-tying score. Hunter, the Buffaloes' two-way star, was the '24 Heisman Trophy winner as U.S. college football's top player.

Among those watching that game was Jeremiah, a former NFL scout with Philadelphia (2010-12), Cleveland (2007-08) and Baltimore (2005-06).

"I'm going, 'Holy moly, he had a monster game there,'" he said. "That's when he jumped on my scene a little bit.

"He had 290-plus yards in that game, a good bit of it on Travis Hunter I might add. That's when he jumped on my radar."

Ayomanor finished 2023 with 62 catches for 1,013 yards and six TDs to earn the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian playing American college football. After posting 63 receptions for 831 yards and six touchdowns last season as a redshirt sophomore, Ayomanor declared for the '25 NFL draft and is projected as a Day 2 (rounds two, three and four) selection.

Jeremiah said he likes Ayomanor's size and burst coming off the line of scrimmage. Also among the Canadian's strengths are his athleticism, agility and smooth running style.

A scouting report on Ayomanor listed on the NFL's website also says he's a willing blocker but has "inconsistent positioning and balance as a run blocker."

The same report provided Ayomanor with a prospect grade (6.19) as a "good backup with the potential to develop into a starter."

"He's a little bit sticky at the top of routes working back downhill," Jeremiah said. "But I thought he's someone who runs through the ball, which I like to see.

"I've talked about that a little bit being kind of grounded through the catch."

Jeremiah also suggested Ayomanor needs some work on his overall strength.

"The issue with him (is) just kind of contact drops," Jeremiah said. "You just want to see when he gets kind of those combat catch opportunities, just being a little stronger and finishing on those."

Despite Ayomanor's '23 production, there will undoubtedly be some NFL teams taking a closer look at the knee he injured in 2022 as part of their due diligence. They'll be looking for indications of his long-term prognosis, the status of the knee and if there's any risk of arthritis in the joint.

The '25 NFL draft is slated for April 24-26 in Green Bay.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 24, 2024.