Getty Wide receiver Dimitri Stanley, formerly of the Iowa State Cyclones.
The Green Bay Packers signed a new wide receiver and the son of a former player who featured with the team in the late 1980s.
Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Saturday, May 4 that the Packers signed former Iowa State wide receiver Dimitri Stanley to a contract as an undrafted free agent after he produced a quality showing at the organization’s rookie minicamp.
“Can report that the #Packers have also signed #IowaSt WR Dimitri Stanley to a free agent contract following his tryout at rookie minicamp,” Silverstein wrote on X. “He follows in footsteps of his father, Walter Stanley, an electric WR/PR/KOR who played [with] GB from 1985-88 and amassed 3,402 all-purpose [yards].”
Walter Stanley played seven total seasons in the NFL, including his first four in Green Bay. He returned 87 punts for the Packers, amassing 720 yards and scoring a touchdown, per Pro Football Reference. He also tallied 42 kickoff returns for 857 yards during his time with the team.
While Walter Stanley was strictly a special teams player during his rookie campaign, he moved into a role as a receiver during his sophomore season. All told, he caught 101 passes for 1,831 receiving yards and 5 TDs while in Green Bay.
Walter Stanley also played stints for the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, the Los Angeles Chargers (then based in San Diego) and the New England Patriots. He led the league with 13.8 yards per punt return in 1989 as a member of the Lions and finished his NFL career with the Patriots in 1992 at the age of 30 years old.
Dimitri Stanley Played 6 Years of NCAA Football Before Signing With Packers
GettyWide receiver Dimitri Stanley, formerly of the Colorado Buffaloes.
Dimitri Stanley was a four-star recruit coming out of high school in the state of Colorado. He played six seasons in college, including four with the University of Colorado at Boulder before transferring to Iowa State for his final two years.
In total, Dimitri Stanley tallied 118 catches for 1,379 receiving yards and 5 TDs across 52 games, per Football Reference. The wideout appeared in 23 games for the Cyclones over the last two seasons, making nine starts and gaining 559 yards on 48 catches that included 1 TD.
Dimitri Stanley stands at 6-feet tall and weights 200 pounds. He now joins a competitive receiver room in Green Bay that is among the youngest and deepest in the NFL.
Packers Have Depth, Self-Made Talent Across WR Position Group
GettyWide receiver Malik Heath of the Green Bay Packers.
Lasting through the summer and making the Packers roster won’t be an easy task for Dimitri Stanley given the aforementioned talent prevalent in the position group, which is led by starters Christian Watson (2nd-round pick, 2022), Romeo Doubs (fourth-round pick, 2022) and Jayden Reed (2nd-round pick, 2023) — all three of whom are entering their second or third NFL seasons in 2024.
Dontayvion Wicks, a fifth-round pick in 2023, also had a strong rookie campaign with 39 catches for 581 yards and 4 TDs. Bo Melton, a former seventh-round selection of the Seattle Seahawks in 2022, made 16 grabs for 218 yards and scored a TD in his first season with the Packers last year.
An undrafted rookie in 2023, Malik Heath made the team in Green Bay and contributed 15 catches for 125 yards and 1 TD of his own. Also still on the Packers depth chart heading into the summer is former 2022 seventh-round pick Samori Toure, who has produced 13 receptions for 160 yards and a score over 22 games played (two starts) for the team.