Green Bay Packers Select Stanford WR in Latest NFL Mock Draft

Nov 16, 2024; Stanford, California, USA; Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor (13) catches a pass in warmup before the game against the Louisville Cardinals at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images | Bob Kupbens-Imagn Images

The Green Bay Packers just had their best season under second-year starter Jordan Love, finishing with an 11-6 record. Yet that was still only good enough for a third-place finish in the tough NFC North, with the Minnesota Vikings finishing at 14-3, and the Detroit Lions finishing tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the NFL at 15-2. Improvements will have to be made to Green Bay's roster in order to make up some ground and set themselves up for a deeper playoff run.

In The Athletic's most recent two-round mock draft, they have the Packers taking Marshall's Mike Green (sounds good already!), an edge rusher that has dynamic traits.

They say of Green, "The FBS sacks leader in 2024 with 17, Green is still a bit untested, but his traits are ridiculous and his workouts will draw crowds. Green and Rashan Gary could be electric together."

But it's their second round pick that we wanted to write about (being a Stanford site and all). WIth the No. 55 overall selection, the Packers are projected to pick WR Elic Ayomanor out of Stanford.

Ayomanor certainly has some tools to dream on, but he has been all over the place in recent mock drafts, sometimes ending up as a late first rounder or early second-round pick, or, in this case, towards the back of the second round.

Part of the reason for this is because while he is draft eligible, he has only played two seasons in college due to an injury that sidelined him in his true freshman season. In those two years he ended up making 125 catches overall, along with 1,844 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns.

His catches per season were split evenly (63 in 2024, 62 in '23), and he had six TDs in each year, but his yardage total dropped from 1,013 to 831 from year one to year two. Part of that is because after his 294-yard breakout game against Colorado in 2023, defenses started paying more attention to him.

With a program that has gone 3-9 over the past four seasons, there weren't enough weapons to take some of the heat off him. Yet, he still put up back-to-back solid seasons.

Couple that with inconsistent QB play to get him the ball and an O-line that struggled at times, and you have enough questions on a player that make you really wonder where he should land on the draft board.

Snagging him at No. 55 overall could be a steal.

That said, with the NFL Combine set for February 27-March 2, Ayomanor could really improve his draft stock and vault himself into first round consideration. He could also stick where he is, or even drop a little further.

The Packers have a young group of guys on offense right now, with Love, 26, leading the charge. But they also have top receiverJayden Reed (24), tight end Tucker Kraft (24), WR Romeo Doubs (24), and Dontayvion Wicks (23) as the primary weapons in the passing game from this past season. This is a group that can grow together, and Ayomanor would be a nice addition to the mix.