Insider's 2025 NFL Mock Draft Has KC Chiefs Picking OT Aireontae Ersery in R1

In a recent 2025 NFL mock draft, the Kansas City Chiefs once again add to their offensive line by taking Minnesota OT Aireontae Ersery in the first round.

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. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

For most of the 2024-25 campaign, the left tackle position has been one of the Kansas City Chiefs' biggest weaknesses. Despite the club's in-season addition of D.J. Humphries, that position's outlook remains a bit murky.

Things are far from solidified in the long run, too. With rookie second-rounder Kingsley Suamataia struggling immensely in limited opportunities and sophomore Wanya Morris not proving to be a franchise-level player, Kansas City might have to go back to the drawing board. Free agency and the trade market are two avenues for improvement, but what about drafting another tackle? That's precisely what one league insider has general manager Brett Veach doing next spring.

In his latest 2025 NFL mock draft for ESPN, Field Yates sends Minnesota tackle Aireontae Ersery to Kansas City with the 31st overall pick.

"At 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, Ersery has excellent size, length and footwork," Yates wrote. "He has been Minnesota's left tackle for the past three seasons, giving up only four sacks over 39 career starts. It's too soon to write off 2024 second-rounder Kingsley Suamataia, but when you are in the midst of an epic run like Kansas City, you must act urgently to address key needs."

Ersery, a redshirt senior with the Golden Gophers, is a Kansas City native. After attending Ruskin High School and playing on the offensive and defensive lines, he earned three-star recruiting status and ended up landing with Minnesota and staying there ever since. He's earned plenty of honors over the past few seasons, including Academic All-Big Ten and All-Big Ten First Team. Ersery was late getting into the football world, not playing until late in his high school career and also having dabbled in track and field.

Ironically, one of the main selling points Ersery provides is college experience. He's played in nearly 40 games for Minnesota over the years, logging well over 2,000 combined snaps at left tackle. That includes over 1,000 reps in pass protection, giving him an expansive sample of tape to evaluate. Advanced metrics are a fan of his performance, with Pro Football Focus giving him a scorching 84.0 overall grade a season ago and a 79.7 mark for his efforts this year.

Standing 6-foot-6 and in the neighborhood of 330 pounds, Ersery has tremendous size that should allow him to stick at tackle in the NFL. Despite being on the heavier side, though, he's a fluid athlete whose feet move quickly in pass sets and on the move when run blocking. He'd be a good fit in a zone scheme if needed. Ersery's combination of heavy reps, good length and a nice overall athletic profile gives him a projected high floor, especially considering his ability to anchor and drive when everything clicks.

A thing to monitor with Ersery, however, is that things don't always click. He sometimes struggles to place his hands appropriately when attempting to fight off an opposing pass rusher. That can lead to him getting caught out of place and losing a rep quickly. Additionally, Ersery's large frame can have him play over his toes and lose balance or not gain enough leverage. The good news is that his technical inconsistencies have a chance to be coached out but even with such a long playing career at Minnesota, he's far from being a shoo-in to serve as a plug-and-play piece right out of the gate.

The Chiefs find themselves in an interesting spot at left tackle. On one hand, they probably shouldn't give up on Suamataia just yet. On the other hand, they can't afford to give him the outright starting job in 2025 and then have him not pan out. With the position needing to be invested in, funds and tradeable draft capital won't be too abundant. That leaves the 2025 NFL Draft making sense, but is it worth it to roll the dice on a prospect for the third year in a row?

Ersery brings plenty of plus traits to the table. He fits some of the thresholds Kansas City typically looks for, and it isn't a Suamataia situation where his number of collegiate reps can be deceiving. Spending a first-round pick on a tackle is also different than waiting for a Day 2 player. Would the potential benefits outweigh the risks? That's the thought exercise Veach and his staff will have to consider moving forward.

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