The Green Bay Packers are one of many contenders in the NFC always going to be a team that looks for an extra offensive lineman they can add to the mix, and a semi-local product in Minnesota left tackle Aireontae Ersery could be someone who has legitimate Pro Bowl potential.
Ersery has risen throughout his final season with the Golden Gophers, and he was able to reaffirm his status as a quality pro prospect at the Senior Bowl. As the Philadelphia Eagles have shown, the new NFL metagame when it comes to building offenses may be leaning on gargantuan linemen.
Ersery will have a ton of NFL interest when it comes time to actually make some draft picks, as he has quickly become one of the best Big Ten prospects in this class and someone who projects well in a pass-happy offense.
Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report
Notes
- Height: 6-6
- Weight: 339
- Recruiting: 2020 3-star, No. 967 national, No. 80 OT, No. 18 MO
Positives
- Mammoth tackle with power that will immediately make him a quality run-blocker in the pros, capable of washing linemen out of plays with heavy hands.
- Exceptional pass blocker, only allowed one sack and one quarterback hit all season long despite multiple games against future pro edge rushers. Held Abdul Carter without a sack.
- Showed proficiency in a zone run scheme in college
Ersery is a player who will instantly give smaller edge rushers in the pros some issues, as he can instantly prove to be capable of flattening defensive ends who are incapable of standing up to his bulk. Not totally lead-footed, Ersery has some encouraging reps in a scheme that asked him to do a lot of zone blocking.
Ersery allowed just one sack this season, keeping Abdul Carter out of the backfield and limiting him to just a handful of tackles. After proving at the Senior Bowl that his pass protection can hold up in one-on-one situations, Ersery has starter potential in Year 1.
Negatives
- Lacks great lateral mobility and overall athleticism, may make him less attractive to teams who pull their tackles.
- Upright playing style can get him into trouble, can be susceptible to speedy rushers off the edge or quality athletes he can't beat on pure power alone.
- Can straight up miss blocks on stunts and complex blitzes, which may lead to many teams viewing him as a project who won't play as a rookie.
Ersery can win with power, but that might be the only club he has in his bag at this moment in time. He can play a very rigid style of football that other teams may not be too excited to work with, as there are some questions about how well he can handle NFL athletes off the edge.
Ersery's few mistakes in pass protection came when defenses would throw unusual blitz packages and stunts at him, which could make him a bit of a question mark when it comes to throwing him out there as a rookie. Ersery would be best on a team with very strong guard play to help compensate.
Aireontae Ersery NFL Player Comparison: Taylor Moton
Moton needed a year to get up to speed, but he eventually managed to turn things around and become a quality starter for almost a decade. Ersery could be in for a similar career path.
Aireonte Ersery 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Mid 2nd Round
The physical tools Ersery has at his disposal are worth taking in the Top 50, though he may slide just a little bit if teams are worried about how much coaching it will take to get some of his bad habits officially exorcised out of his overall style.