Texans trade up for OL Aireontae Ersery

The Houston Texans selected Minnesota offensive lineman Aireontae Ersery in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 48th overall.

Houston sent pick Nos. 58 and 99 to the Las Vegas Raiders to move up to the 48th overall selection.

The Texans allowed 54 sacks last season, signalling a need to improve the offensive line. They also traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil to the Washington Commanders this offseason.

Pre-draft profile

Ersery is probably this class' most underrated tackle. He certainly plays with the strength you'd expect of a player his size, easily moving defenders off the ball. But that's only one part of his game. He's also one of the smoothest 330-pounders you're going to find. An incredible combine performance, highlighted by a 5.01-second 40 time, put Ersery among the top five most athletic offensive tackles in this draft, according to Relative Athletic Score. That shows up on tape with his ability to get on the move as a run defender, making difficult blocks look easy. He'll need to play with a more consistent pad level to win the leverage battle against NFL defenders, and speed rushers might give him some trouble on an island. Still, there's a lot to like here. Ersery could be a long-term starter at left or right tackle in any scheme.