ESPN Mocks Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery to Broncos in 2025 Draft

Is this the direction Sean Payton's Denver Broncos will go in the 2025 NFL draft?

Sep 10, 2022; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery (69) blocks Western Illinois Leathernecks defensive back JJ Ross (1) in the second quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Broncos Country craves improvement in offensive weaponry. Sure, the Denver Broncos possess some up-and-coming skill players such as running back Audric Estime and receiving options Marvin Mims Jr., DeVaughn Vele, and Troy Franklin, but none of which currently appear to be more than complementary pieces on an offense as opposed to building blocks.

Further, now that the Broncos appear to have a long-term option at quarterback in Bo Nix, giving him players who can create around him will be imperative for the growth of the signal-caller and offense going forward.

Will Sean Payton and the Broncos utilize the team’s first-round pick to add a running back, tight end, or wide receiver? According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, Broncos fans shouldn't get locked into an offensive skill position just yet.  

Matt Miller’s first mock of the 2025 draft cycle has Payton doing what he did most often in the draft during his tenure in New Orleans: utilizing premium draft capital along the trenches. Miller mocked Minnesota Gopher offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery to the Broncos at No. 19 overall.

“Left tackle could be a significant need for the Broncos come April, even though Denver has given up only 18 sacks (tied for fifth fewest). Current 32-year-old starter Garett Bolles will be a free agent after the season. Ersery has given up only one sack this season and four in his 36-start career. The 340-pounder is a good mover with the ability to get outside the box on zone plays. Ersery has high upside and could rise in the pre-draft cycle if he performs well at the Senior Bowl," Miller wrote.

25 yards, passer rating by 20 points and completion percent by 12. Like I said, Nix is red-hot right now.

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Listed at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, Ersery has prototype size for a tackle with surprising movement for someone of his stature. Ersery is explosive in his movements and can generate plenty of power at the point of attack in the run game while also possessing enough strength to anchor against a bull rush.

Ersery is a good athlete for his size, but he does play tall and is not a good enough reactionary athlete to overcome bad hand placement and losing the leverage battle, something that is on his tape more often than one would like given how many starts he has accumulated in college.

Ersery also has experience playing on both sides of the line of scrimmage as a left tackle and right tackle, offering flexibility for his long-term plan and role if the Broncos were to draft him. While he is a strong player at the point of attack, how tall he plays might mean he would struggle should his athleticism not translate to the perimeter and be forced inside to guard.

Ersery is not the athletic freak that Terron Armstead was at left tackle nor the masterful technician that Ryan Ramczyk was for Payton for many years in New Orleans, but he does possess more size than either.

Broncos Country will likely cry for Denver to add offensive skill players around Nix this offseason. However, the direction of where Payton takes this team is dependent on the immediate future of long-time left tackle Garett Bolles.

Should Bolles depart in free agency, the Broncos might feel forced to select an offensive tackle early in the draft to protect their quarterback and rely on other avenues other than their first-round pick to add playmakers to the offense.

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