Elic Ayomanor is one of the top wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft and was widely projected to be an early Day 2 pick. However, a lower floor combined with inconsistencies in pass catching has caused him to drop into Day 3. Let’s get into the reasons in detail.
What Caused Elic Ayomanor To Slide Into Day 3 of 2025 NFL Draft?
Ayomanor emerged as a household name after an exceptional performance against one of the top prospects in this class, Colorado’s Travis Hunter, in 2023.
Colorado got off to a blazing start, and Stanford found itself trailing 29-0 at halftime. Then, suddenly, in the second half, the ball began finding its way into Ayomanor’s hands.
It started with Stanford’s defense forcing a Colorado punt, and then Ayomanor caught a quick pass that he took 97 yards for a touchdown. After another forced punt, he caught a ball right in front of a surprised Hunter’s face, picking up a 60-yard touchdown.
And on and on it went. By the end of the game, which Stanford won in double overtime, Ayomanor was the hero. He finished with 13 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns. As for the 2023 season, he racked up 1,013 yards and six touchdowns before backing it up with 831 yards and six touchdowns in 2024.
According to PFSN’s scouting report on Ayomanor, he is a “big-bodied ‘X’ receiver” who performs best out wide. He has a solid frame that fits the physical nature of the NFL.
So why wasn’t Ayomanor picked in the first rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft? It’s possibly because of his 12 drops since 2023. He also has a tendency to make the hard catches look easy and the easy catches look hard.
“If you’re looking for a polished route-running technician, Ayomanor might not be your first choice. He’s a bit high coming into his breaks and doesn’t have the explosiveness in his lower half to consistently create separation.”
Ayomanor may be more of a project than teams want from a player taken early, which is why he wasn’t selected in the first three rounds. Bleacher Report’s NFL Scout Dame Parson put it best by saying, “Ayomanor is a good but not a great athlete. His explosiveness and burst early in reps limit winning foot races down the sideline.”
While Ayomanor’s low floor has dropped him into Day 3, there’s no doubt he is a high-upside WR who only needs the right coaching and support to become a diverse, domineering playmaker. He should find plenty of teams early in the fourth round willing to bet on his high ceiling.