Stanford receiver Ayomanor projected as top Canadian for 2025 NFL draft

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah figures Canadians Elic Ayomanor, Kurtis Rourke and Taylor Elgersma will need a little patience before learning where their NFL futures lie.

All three are available for the '25 NFL draft, which begins Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisc., with opening-round selections. Second- and third-round picks will be made Friday night with the final four rounds going Saturday.

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Jeremiah, a former NFL scout, anticipates all three Canadians landing with new teams. He projects Ayomanor, who attended the NFL combine, being the first Canuck off the board in the fourth round.

"There's a chance with other teams he could end up sneaking into the third round," Jeremiah said. "But I think that (fourth round) is probably his range of where he'll end up going."

Certainly, the evaluation of prospects remains an inexact science. For example, NFLDRAFTBUZZ.com gave the six-foot-two, 210-pound Ayomanor, of Medicine Hat, Alta., a second-round grade and Pro Football Focus also has him going in the second, 35th overall, to Tennessee.

Ayomanor, 21, registered 125 receptions for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns in 24 career games at Stanford — he didn't play in 2022 due to a serious knee injury. After posting 63 receptions for 831 yards and six TDs last season as a redshirt sophomore, Ayomanor declared for the draft.

Ayomanor captured the 2023 Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian playing American college football after recording 62 catches for 1,013 yards and six TDs. Ayomanor 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 Stanford to a stunning 46-43 overtime win over Colorado.

Ayomanor did all of his damage in the second half and overtime as Stanford erased a 20-0 halftime deficit. Although 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 2024 Heisman Trophy winner as U.S. college football's top player and is projected as a high first-round pick Thursday.

"The '23 game against Colorado is probably one of the best tapes of any of these wide receivers," Jeremiah said. "(Ayomanor) has a ton of burst and speed.

"He has size, has some contested drops, some contact drops, which is an area that you like to see him improve on."

Rourke, of Oakville, Ont., led Indiana to an 11-2 record and College Football Playoff berth in his first season there. Rourke, the younger brother of CFL star quarterback Nathan Rourke, threw for 3,042 yards and 29 TDs with just five interceptions and finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting.

And he did so playing with a torn ACL suffered in training camp. Rourke also missed one game with a broken thumb that required surgery.

Rourke had knee surgery in January and couldn't participate in drills at either the NFL combine or Indiana's pro day. He anticipates being ready for the start of training camp.

Jeremiah sees Rourke, 24, either being taken in the sixth or seventh rounds or signing as a priority free agent. PFF has Rourke going in the seventh, 252nd overall, to San Francisco while USA Today lists him as one of its 10 sleeper picks.

"He's somebody who's all-day tough, obviously playing what he played through," Jeremiah said. "Good in the RPO (run-pass option) game.

"There's just not a ton of life on the ball, and that's probably a little bit of the combination of age, durability, and not having a huge, huge arm."

The six-foot-four 220-pound Rourke began his college career at Ohio University, following in his brother's footsteps. He threw for 7,651 yards with 50 TDs and 16 interceptions while running for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns over five seasons and was the 2022 Mid-American Conference’s MVP.

Elgersma captured the '24 Hec Crighton Trophy as Canadian university football's top player. The London, Ont., native led Laurier to the Vanier Cup and finished the season with 4,252 yards passing, 35 TDs and 11 interceptions over 13 games while also rushing for seven touchdowns.

The six-foot-five, 216-pound Elgersma became the first Canadian university quarterback invited to the Senior Bowl — which annually attracts many of the top NFL draft prospects. Elgersma impressed during practices and went 4-for-7 passing for 57 yards in the game.

At Laurier, Elgersma, 23, threw for 10,230 yards, 76 TDs with 28 interceptions in 39 career games. He also ran for 572 yards (4.7-yard average) and 18 touchdowns.

No Canadian university quarterback has been taken in the NFL draft since it adopted its current seven-round format in 1994. And Jeremiah sees that trend continuing.

"He did flash a little bit at the Senior Bowl, so I think that created some intrigue that maybe he could hear his name called in the sixth, seventh rounds," Jeremiah said. "But I think the more likely scenario is he's going to end up being a free agent, somebody would love to work with and have some practice-squad opportunities there."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 23, 2025.