Watch: Highlights of Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor

Starting on Thursday, the NFL Draft will begin, with prospective hopefuls eager to hear their names called so that they can embark on a new journey as a professional football player. One of those players, former Stanford standout wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, will hope that he hears his name called on day one, possessing a skillset that could be game-changing to any franchise that picks him.

Despite playing only two seasons for Stanford, missing his freshman campaign due to an injury, Ayomanor wasted no time in becoming a star, catching 62 passes for 1,013 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore while hauling in 63 passes for 831 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. In each of those two seasons, Ayomanor ended the year as Stanford's No. 1 receiver.

Regardless of the numbers, Ayomanor is a special player. Known for being a clean route runner who is very good at getting open, his catch radius also draws attention, showcasing that multiple times last season. In Ayomanor's most notable game from the 2024 season, he caught a one-handed touchdown against Syracuse that played a big role in the Cardinal pulling off the big upset.

The catch, which is similar to, and has drawn comparisons to the famous Odell Beckham Jr. catch from 2014, shows that as long as the quarterback places the ball anywhere near Ayomanor, he will more than likely make the play--regardless of how tough it is. In today's NFL, where the athleticism is off the chart, having a guy like that going up against defenses could make a team very happy.

But, it wasn't necessarily what he did last year that helped his name get put firmly on the map. In a game against Colorado during the 2023 season, Ayomanor had not only the best game of his career, but arguably the best ever performance by a wide receiver in school history as he caught 13 passes for a school record fo 294 yards.

It was his big performance that helped the Cardinal go from being down 29-0 at halftime to winning the game 46-43 in double overtime.

Arguably the biggest storyline of that game wasn't his numbers, or even necessarily the fact that he made crazy plays to help fuel the win. It was how he did all that while being guarded by one of the best players in college football in Travis Hunter, who is expected to go in the top few picks of the first round in the NFL Draft.

Hunter, who won the Heisman Trophy in 2024 to become the first defensive player since Charles Woodson to win the award, is widely considered as the best overall player in this year's draft.

There is no denying that Ayomanor was a big piece of the Stanford offense. But throughout his college career, he showed time and time again that he is a superstar on the gridiron and for whichever team that ends up drafting him this weekend, they will be getting a player who has the potential to be a real difference maker.