Should the Green Bay Packers Reach for Stanford Wide Out in Second Round?

The Green Bay Packers could use some help at wide receiver, and they are expected to address that need somewhere in the NFL Draft this week. One player that has been mentioned in connection to the Packers in numerous recent mock drafts is Stanford's Elic Ayomanor.

While he's not the biggest or the fastest guy out there, ranking around tenth among wide outs in the draft, he also hasn't been given the tools to succeed just yet. At Stanford, his quarterback, Ashton Daniels, was always under pressure with a shaky offensive line, and Daniels took off and ran quite a bit, limiting the opportunities for Ayomanor in the passing game.

Not to mention, Ayomanor was the clear star of a program that has gone 3-9 the past four seasons, including the two that he spent on The Farm. That led to a lot of extra coverage headed his way too. Having a quarterback like Jordan Love throwing him the ball could be enough to unlock a new level for Ayomanor.

In his two seasons at Stanford, he finished with 125 receptions, 1,844 yards receiving, and 12 touchdowns.

Heading into the draft, he's been ranked anywhere from a second-round selection to a mid-fourth rounder, though in recent days he's been climbing a bit in mocks. In their final mock, Green Bay Packers on SI said that taking Ayomanor in the third round was the no-brainer pick for their club.

"If Round 2 was a debate, Round 3 was easy. The Packers can’t possibly head into 2025 running it back with the same group of receivers (minus Christian Watson due to his torn ACL) and realistically consider themselves Super Bowl contenders.

"With Jayden Higgins, Tre Harris and Jack Bech off the board, Elic Ayomonor was the simple choice. He fits exactly what the Packers need. He doesn’t have Watson’s size or speed but he’s 6-foot-1 3/4 with 4.44 speed, so he’s no slouch."

While he could certainly be a third-round pick, in their most recent mock draft, ESPN had the Packers selecting him in the second round with the No. 54 selection. Ayomanor fits what they do, and also what their draft strategy has been in recent seasons, like taking Christian Watson in the second round back in 2022.

The question Green Bay will have to answer is not whether or not they want Ayomanor, but if they're willing to take him in the second round to add him to the roster. He's been climbing in these mocks, and if he makes it to the third round, there may be a number of teams that are comfortable taking him there, which could lead him landing elsewhere.

Which team is going to go outside of their comfort level just enough in order to land him? How high are the Packers on what Ayomanor could be at the NFL level? We'll have to wait until the NFL Draft, which begins with the first round on Thursday, to find out. The second and third rounds will be held on Friday, beginning at 6 p.m. (ET).