Minnesota Left Tackle Aireontae Ersery is Out of Control

Minnesota Gophers’ left tackle Aireontae Ersery is a raw street fighter. That sounds like it could be a good thing, but it’s really not.

Left tackle in the NFL is a premium position and it demands athletic dancing ballerinas to protect right-handed quarterbacks. They even made a movie about this, The Blindside.

After evaluating every snap Ersery participated in during the 2023 season, I can’t see how an NFL team could depend on him at left tackle.

I just can’t.

Don’t tell that to other draft platforms

Ersery has been receiving a good amount of love from the NFL Draft community.

CBS, Draftwire, 33rd Team, The Draft Network, The Athletic, Yahoo, Pro Football Focus, Sports Illustrated, SBNation, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, and the Sporting News have all tagged this Minnesota left tackle with a first-round grade (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

I would like to know what game film they were watching.

Pass Protection

Left tackles in the NFL need to be able to do two things well when it comes to pass protection: 1) slide out laterally and protect the perimeter of the pocket and 2) be able to seal off the inside gap.

Ersery is inconsistent in both areas.

That’s a bad sign.

Ersery is too vulnerable in the pass protection even at the college level. I can’t even imagine what this would look like against today’s skilled NFL pass rushers.

I don’t want to imagine it.

Additionally, he opened the inside door to the quarterback way too often for my tastes.

Run blocking

Ersery is hit-and-miss in this department.

When he hits, he looks the part and when he misses, he leaves something to be desired.

Best case scenario, he’s a decent limited-area run blocker when he has leverage and can use his natural strength and aggression to his advantage to get the job done. The further he got away from the line of scrimmage, the more unpredictable he became. It’s the flip of a coin at the second level (where the linebackers line up pre-snap). I lost track of how many times he either whiffed or couldn’t sustain his block long enough.

Ersery tends to struggle to sustain his run blocks in general. He’s below average to put it kindly.

NFL projection

Ersery looks like a raw project. I envision him with the Packers or the Colts and making the switch to right tackle in the NFL.

However, he’s the type who will bounce around the league to several teams and then be done.

I’m not excited about his frame or his technique.

#69 Aireontae Ersery 6-foot-6, 330 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Fifth-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 33.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 29, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: Nebraska, Eastern Michigan, North Carolina, Northwestern, Louisiana, Michigan, Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois, Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Bowling Green (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

NFL comp: Poor man’s David Bakhtiari

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Athletic converted tight-end type frame with long arms who is too inconsistent in pass and run blocking departments to become a permanent starter at the next level. Aggressive nature. Active. Battles. Durable. Average football IQ. In pass pro handled stunts and some blitzes. Struggled with delayed blitzes. Possibly a right tackle or swing sixth offensive lineman type. In pass protection, flashes a quick first step. Average hand usage. Tries to lock on high with his vice-grip hands. Tends to lean into his blocks too much. Waist bender. Lowers his head too much. Gives up blocking leverage as a result. Looked like he was chasing pass rushers and they were dictating too much. Average anchor. Does not look in control often. Highly competitive run blocker. Really struggles to sustain blocks. Pushes. Shoves. Ends up on the ground a lot. His assignment ended up in the stop or around the pile regularly.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Does he look out of control in pass protection?

2. How does he look against delayed blitzes?

3. Is he controlling defenders on run blocks?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.