Stanford Football Standouts Excited for Opportunity to Join NFL

The opportunity to become a player in the NFL is every football player's dream. On Wednesday, five Stanford Cardinal players who are expected to enter the NFL Draft took part in Stanford's Pro Day, giving NFL scouts, coaches and general managers the chance to check in on the talent coming out of The Farm this season, and see if they would be a good fit for their franchises.

Among the notable Stanford players who participated were linebacker Gaethan Bernadel and wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, both of whom had a lot of eyes on them.

While getting an invite to the NFL Combine, therefore only participating in the position drills portion of this week's Pro Day, Ayomanor still managed to put together a strong performance that could very well see his draft stock rise.

"It was good," Ayomanor said when asked how he felt his Pro Day went. "This is really the stuff that comes naturally to me, right. I play football, and so the Pro Day for me was just playing football again. So it's really the easy part of the whole process to be honest."

For Bernadel, coming into this process was a little bit different.

Despite being a dominant force for the Cardinal defense during his time at Stanford, he had more of an uphill battle to generate draft interest. But through it all, he has been able to learn a lot, not only about himself but about what it is like to be a pro as well.

"This process, it's been a fun one," Bernadel said. "Lot of ups and downs but I find myself learning how to be a pro and everything. Some good days, some bad days but at the end of the day, you've got to keep working. Good results, bad results, same results, keep working, keep going. Learning how to stay level headed through it all and continuing to grind."

The pre-draft process is more than just impressing scouts and proving that you have what it takes to make it in the league, though. It is also about honing in and improving on the little things that make a complete football player, especially when it comes to taking care of the one thing that athletes need more than anything-- their bodies.

In Bernadel's case, learning how to not only take care of his body better, but also listen to it when it is sore or in pain, has been something he has worked on even more throughout the pre-draft tasks. He wants to make sure that he does a top-tier job with that throughout his entire time in the league.

"Listening to my body," Bernadel said of what he has learned most throughout the whole process. "Listen to my body in terms of, some days if I'm training or if something is feeling too tight or if something is not feeling too good, learning how to throttle it down a bit.

"But [overall], listen to my body, take care of my body. I know I keep saying being a pro, but this whole process has been me learning how to be a pro. It's been a good ride."

All of his life, Bernadel has had the dream of playing in the NFL, and the anticipation is starting to mount for him as draft day gets closer and closer, eager to find out where he falls and which team selects him.

Comfortable playing in any situation, as his college career was full of different journeys, Bernadel is not picky about where he wants to begin his career, instead opting to keep an open mind with the idea that he could end up anywhere and play in any scheme.

Playing against some of the best players in the nation in top-flight conferences, with the Pac-12 and ACC both considered strong football conferences, has prepared Bernadel for the challenges that come with being in the NFL.

While he may not be seen as the best player available, what he is able to bring to any team could have whichever organization drafts him smiling out of both ears for years to come.

"Whoever drafts me is going to get a smart, tough and dependable player that plays hard, fast and physical," Bernadel said. "And also, you're going to get a leader in the locker room."