INDIANAPOLIS — Last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver room outside of George Pickens became somewhat of a laughing stock around the NFL. While not necessarily the strength of the NFL Draft class as a whole, there are still plenty of options to fit Pittsburgh, and it seems that general manger Omar Khan understands that this is a major need. Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor will likely hear his name called on Day Two and the Steelers are one of the teams taking an interest in him, choosing the Cardinal wideout as one of their 45 formal pre-draft slots. The size and flashes of dominance in the passing game are tantalizing but alongside that, Ayomanor is the best blocker amongst his peers.

One thing that stood out during his media scrum was his humility. This was evidently apparent when he was asked multiple times about his breakout performance in 2023, one in which he dropped 294 yards against the Colorado secondary which included top-five pick Travis Hunter. He refused to shower praise on himself.

Steelers fans, time to get familiar with Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor.

Big vertical threat who flashed vs. press and is a physical run blocker. (Arthur Smith-like)

Torched Travis Hunter in their matchup last yr (12-294-3).

Now 2 years removed from his ACL injury… watch out. pic.twitter.com/uBx4FXfUTl

— Derrick (@Steelers_DB) July 7, 2024

“Honestly, it was a whole team thing every time you a performance like that. In the second half, the line really held their own out there and Ashton was delivering the ball accurately and on time. That’s all you can ask for as a receiver,” Ayomanor explained. “Whenever you get those opportunities, you have to capitalize on them and that’s what I ended up doing. But it was a mix of all of the team playing well together in that game and I’m really appreciative of that.”

Ayomanor was asked about those in the football community that question his deep speed but rebuked that notion by saying he didn’t necessarily agree with that assumption. He’s not shooting for a particular time but wanted to offer a friendly reminder to the doubters.

“We’ll see what I run at the combine tomorrow,” he said before running a 4.44-second 40-yard dash on Saturday. “I will say this, I was a track guy in high school. I ran a 10.6 in the 100-meter, so whatever that translates to.”

While at Stanford, he was in the receiver room with current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, who brought the tenacity to the field on every play. NFL scouts took notice of that effort that popped up on every single game that I saw on film this past season.

“I would say the thing that scouts like about me the most is my mentality. I’m not afraid to get dirty, I love blocking and it’s something that I take pride in. If we get on the goal line, I’m not going to ask you to throw me a fade. If you want me to come down tight and block off the edge, I’m going to do that.”

In terms of other receivers that he likes to watch film on, Ayomanor takes notes Calvin Ridley’s ability to burst off the ball and Davante Adams’ legendary release package. Then he offered another name that will surely be music to Steelers fans ears: A.J. Brown.

“I think A.J. Brown is probably the most similar in terms of style and just the physicality that he plays with,” Ayomanor detailed. “He just plays really physical off the release and at the catch point. That’s something that you can do as a bigger receiver and take advantage of that. I think it’s about learning to play with your size, or above your size and that’s the biggest thing I take from him.”

Ayomanor has one of the more unique journeys to the NFL. Originally from Canada with a youth background in hockey, he came to the United States with the goal in mind of reaching his full potential as a football player. One thing that carried over seamlessly was his work ethic.

“I’m not a believer in natural ability,” he said. “I think everything is gained through hard work and learning.”

While in Indy, he met with a plethora of NFL teams, one of those being the Steelers. His recalled his interview with the Steelers by saying it went really well.

“I just kind of went in there and they just talked to me, tried to get to know me as a person,” Ayomanor said.

HOW DOES ELIC AYOMANOR FIT WITH STEELERS?

To say that the Steelers need receiver help would be the understatement of the century. Van Jefferson, an impending free agent, was statistically one of the leagues least efficient players despite playing over 700 snaps last season. Mike Williams, their midseason acquisition, was mostly an afterthought in the offense as he continued to ramp back up from a physical standpoint. Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson are from the speed slot archetype, with neither projecting as potential contributors outside. Thus bringing us to boundary wide receiver as one of the biggest needs on the entire roster.

Unfortunately for them, this isn’t a great class especially in comparison to last years crop of playmakers. On the flip side of that, they don’t really need a number one target, so long as they can keep George Pickens on the straight and narrow in the short term. It will be fascinating to see what skill set they are pursuing as a compliment. Do they want another big-bodied vertical threat? A route running separator? Or someone that can create yards after the catch on underneath targets? There will be complimentary options available to them on draft weekend.

Ayomanor has the size that Arthur Smith tends to prefer at the position and was pretty productive despite a lackluster at best environment. One thing immediately pops on his tape is the toughness. He’s willing to go over the middle to secure a catch while taking a shot shortly after or run through arm tackles from smaller defenders as a runner. As previously mentioned, Ayomanor is the best blocker in this class with a rare combination of the ideal frame, unrelenting willingness to sustain and finish reps, and technical refinement. He’s a real threat on back-shoulder fades in part because of impressive body control, his catch radius is vast and he’s proven that he has the ability to levitate and make difficult snags outside of his frame. His vertical presence and lower body flexibility allows him to succeed on hitches/comebacks. As a route runner, Ayomanor flashes nuance and is a fluid, efficient mover with good footwork to create more separation than you average receiver with this type of build.

Nothing was made easy for him in college but drops were a struggle for him at times, whether it was poor technique or in relation to concentration lapses. I wouldn’t classify his straight-line speed as an issue, but he’s not the most explosive from an acceleration standpoint and this goes back to him being more fluid than anything when getting out of his breaks. Because of his experience as an X-receiver in college, there are plenty of good reps versus press coverage but he needs to do a better job of reducing his surface area and using his hands to get guys off his frame to avoid getting hung up on contact. Ayomanor can do a better job of using his size to his advantage, mainly boxing guys out and working back to the ball more consistently, as a receiver.

ELIC AYOMANOR COLLEGE STATS

Ayomanor bounced back from injury in a major way in 2023, compiling a 1,000-yard campaign in his first year playing college ball. His production slipped a tad this past season but this wasn’t primarily an indictment on him as a player, rather the ecosystem he was operating within. One selling point is that he hauled in 48.3% of his contested catches in both his years at Stanford, per PFF, while also being an impactful blocker in the run game.

TALE OF THE TAPE

Measured at the NFL Combine: 6-foot-1 3/4, 206 pounds, 32 3/8-inch arms, 10-inch hands

Listed by Stanford: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds

Tested at the NFL Combine: 4.44-second 40-yard dash, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 38.5-inch vertical, 10-foot-7 broad jump

Relative Athletic Score: 9.67

WHERE WILL ELIC AYOMANOR BE DRAFTED?

After electing to pull out of the Senior Bowl, NFL teams seem to be taking a very particular interest in Ayomanor at the combine. As is the case for all skill positions, the testing portion for will be important for him. He’s not someone that is projected to light the world on fire but just reaffirming the notion that he is indeed a good athlete should solidify his stock. He’ll come off the board on day two.

FILM ROOM

ODDS AND ENDS

Born in Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. Won the Jon Cornish Trophy as the best NCAA football player from Canada in 2023. … Former three-star recruit and played his last two years of high school football at Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts. … Set the Stanford program record for receiving yards in a game (294), besting the mark from Troy Walters in 1999 in the double overtime victory at Colorado. … Second most single-game receiving yards in Pac-12 history (Marquise Lee, USC, 2012, 345). … The Steelers have drafted seven players from Stanford in their history, the last of which was guard David DeCastro in 2012.