The Houston Texans had a pretty good NFL draft by most fans' standards. Houston addressed its wide receiver room, taking Jayden Higgins and Jaylin Noel with two of their first three picks. The Texans also grabbed a cornerback in the third round (Jaylin Smith) and a running back in the fourth round (Woody Marks), who'll compete for the RB2 job behind Joe Mixon.
However, Texans fans are excited about the team’s other second-round pick, offensive tackle Aireonte Ersery out of Minnesota. Houston's coaches, and front office saw young quarterback C.J. Stroud get blasted last season, sacked 52 times behind an underperforming o-line.
This offseason, Houston made several changes to its offensive line, which included signing veteran tackle Cam Robinson, trading Laremy Tunsil, and cutting Shaq Mason.
Heading into next season, Robinson is projected to start at left tackle. This means Ersery could be in the mix for the right tackle spot.
Texans owner Cal McNair is looking forward to seeing the 6-foot-6, 331-pound lineman in action as he could ultimately become the team’s left tackle of the future. According to Cody Stoots, the Texans owner said he’s “excited” to see Ersery compete on the offensive line.
Cal McNair said he is excited to see “big man” Aireontae Ersery compete on the offensive line for the Houston Texans. Notes the rookie’s size at 6’6” and over 330 pounds. pic.twitter.com/E8z0PX4Tts
— Cody Stoots (@Cody_Stoots) May 5, 2025
The fact that McNair has already taken notice of Ersery is good, but also a lot of pressure on the young tackle, who has a lot of promise and upside.
The former Minnesota Golden Gopher lineman has good functional strength and solid foot quickness, which helps him cut off potential stunts or twists from defensive linemen. He also takes good angles when getting into the second level, which is good to hear if you are Mixon or another running back on the roster.
Nevertheless, the Texans likely won’t rush Ersery into action, since they have Blake Fisher (second-round pick in 2024) and Trent Brown. However, he’ll likely be given a shot to win the starting right tackle job this summer.