Analyzing Minnesota LT Aireontae Ersery as a potential draft pick for Cleveland
The Cleveland Browns have to replace multiple offensive linemen this offseason and this year’s NFL Draft class is loaded with excellent options for Andrew Berry and Co. to choose from.
The Browns are currently expected to have five offensive tackles hit free agency once the new league year begins in March, and they’ll undoubtedly utilize this year’s draft cycle to help replenish the position room.
Aireontae Ersery is a player who could be on the Browns’ radar heading into draft weekend due to his overall skillset, which “checks off” a lot of boxes when it comes to the attributes that Cleveland is looking for in a long-term left tackle.
Name
Aireontae Ersery
Position
Offensive Tackle
Height/Weight
6’6.5”, 325 lbs.
College
University of Minnesota
2024 Stats: 12 starts at Left Tackle, 1st team All-Big Ten & 3rd team AP All-American
Career: 39 career starts, 38 at Left Tackle
Relative Athletic Score
N/A. Will update once athletic testing is performed.
Average “Big Board” Position As of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database
The Draft Network’s Grade/Round Value
Day 1 (Round 1)
What an Expert is Saying
“Ersery projects best to a play-action-heavy scheme at the NFL level. He’s a developmental starter with all the tools needed to be a quality starter. However, his technical refinement and snap-to-snap consistency, particularly in pass protection, loom as an area of necessary growth.
Playing in a PA-heavy scheme would allow him to paint a similar picture for defenders in run and pass reps, helping reduce the stress he’d take with vertical or angular pass sets until he can develop this phase of his game.” – Kyle Crabbs, The 33rd Team
Fit with the Browns
When it comes to overall scheme fit and playstyle, Ersery might be one of the top offensive tackle options for Cleveland in the 2025 NFL Draft. Despite being 320+ pounds, he excels as a movement blocker in the run game. Kevin Stefanski likes to utilize a bevy of different pin/pull, IZ/OZ, and crack/toss variations that get the Browns’ offensive tackles on the move both laterally and vertically in the run game.
Ersery admittedly needs to work on his anchoring ability against bull rushers at the next level when it comes to pass protection but that shouldn’t be a problem with better coaching.
He’s exactly the type of player who could immediately step in and start at left tackle as a rookie and raise the floor of the entire offensive line in 2025.
Browns Player Drafting Could Impact
Aireontae Ersery could end up being a shoo-in to start at left tackle regardless of who else the team acquires in the 2025 offseason.
Priority
High.
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