Gophers' Aireontae Ersery taken by Texans in second round of 2025 NFL draft

Ersery makes it six straight years with a Gophers player drafted in the first two rounds.

Oct 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Golden Gophers offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery (69) celebrates quarterback Max Brosmer's (16) touchdown against the USC Trojans during the first half at Huntington Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Former Gophers star left tackle Aireontae Ersery was selected by the Houston Texans with the 48th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. The Texans traded up with the Raiders to make the pick.

This is the sixth consecutive year that P.J. Fleck and the Gophers have had a player taken in the top two rounds of the draft. Ersery joins Tyler Nubin (2024), John Michael Schmitz (2023), Boye Mafe (2022), Rashod Bateman (2021), and Antoine Winfield Jr. (2020) in that regard. Before that run began, the Gophers only had three players drafted in the first two rounds between 2002 and 2019, which is a sign of the program's current strength.

It's the first time a Minnesota offensive tackle has been drafted in the top 100 since 1974.

Ersery spent five years with Minnesota and was a three-year starter on the left side. He was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten honoree and was the 2024 Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, as well as a third-team AP All-American.

A 6'6", 330-pound tackle, Ersery impressed at this year's scouting combine with a 5.01 40-yard dash and a broad jump of over nine feet. He also attended the Senior Bowl, where he made an impression on NFL evaluators.

The Texans traded longtime LT Laremy Tunsil this offseason, then signed former Jaguars and Vikings tackle Cam Robinson in free agency. Ersery could compete for that job or possibly factor in at another position.

The Gophers have a chance to potentially break a program record this weekend in terms of the total number of players selected in one modern-era draft. Since the draft went to seven rounds in 1994, the Gophers' record is five players taken in one draft (set in 2020). They could get to six this year if Ersery is joined on Saturday by players like Jah Joyner, Justin Walley, Max Brosmer, Cody Lindenberg, Daniel Jackson, and Tyler Cooper (or perhaps another surprise pick).