Former Stanford Stars Shine in Week 5 of the NFL Season

Another weekend of the 2025 NFL season has come and gone. Already five weeks in, teams have started to separate themselves from the rest of the pack, with some showing that they potentially have what it takes to make a deep playoff run, while others are showing that they are still in rebuild mode.

But regardless of how each team is doing, Stanford football has plenty of representatives in the NFL this season, with former Cardinal stars spread all throughout the league.

And this week, multiple former Stanford stars put up big performances, helping their teams in a big way. There is still a lot of football left to be played, but so far, the former Stanford stars in the league have already proven their worth and figure to play big roles for their respective teams down the line.

Here are the top former Stanford star performances from NFL week five.

Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans

The Texans were in dire need of a win this week, and boy did they deliver. Dominating the Lamar Jackson-less Ravens, 44-10, the Texans improve to 2-3 and helped their playoff chances greatly with the win.

Schultz, who has played a relatively quiet role to start the year, put together his best performance in the week five win, catching five passes for 60 yards and averaging a season-high of 12 yards per catch. On the season, Schultz has 21 catches for 186 yards.

With the Texans holding a steady lead in this one, former Cardinal Davis Mills even got some action.

Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants

A team captain for the Giants and the leader of the New York defense, Okereke has been a key part of the Giants core since joining the team ahead of the 2023 season and has continued to shine this season.

Despite losing 26-14 to the New Orleans Saints, Okereke still played a great game, recording 10 total tackles and flying around the field. In five games, Okereke has 48 tackles and is well on pace for another 100-tackle season.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

Last season, McCaffrey was limited to only four games due to injury, but this season, he is back and has been a major star for the 49ers' depleted offense. In the team's Thursday Night Football win over the Rams in week five, McCaffrey had 22 carries for 57 yards while making eight catches for 82 yards and a touchdown, helping the 49ers come away with the upset win.

The 49ers have a lot of injuries, but if McCaffrey stays healthy, then they should be able to collect enough wins to be in playoff contention at the end of the season.

Elic Ayomanor, WR, Tennessee Titans

Talk about a guy who has had an insane upwards trajectory. Drafted by the Titans in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Ayomanor was expected to be a developmental player in the early part of the season.

But a strong preseason led to him earning a starting role right out of the gate, a role he has excelled in. While only catching two passes for 18 yards in the 22-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Ayomanor has enjoyed a strong season thus far-- catching 14 passes for 169 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Titans are still rebuilding, but if Ayomanor continues to develop, the team could be looking at a lethal receiving core in the not too distant future.