Could OT Aireontae Ersery be the next Gophers player drafted to the NFL?

Ersery is entering his fifth season with the Gophers' program. The 2022 season was his first as a starter, earning a 61.6 PFF Grade and he improved dramatically last year with a 84.0 PFF Grade. He has played over 800 snaps in each of the past two seasons, allowing just four sacks and 25 total pressures in that time.

After graduating from Ruskin High School (MO) in 2020, he came to Minnesota as a top 1,000 recruit, choosing the Gophers over top offers from programs such as Kansas State, Kansas and Kent State.

Listed at 6-foot-6, 325 pounds he has all of the intangibles to be an NFL tackle and another year of elite production in 2024, could see him hear his name called very early in next spring's draft.

Minnesota has had a first or second-round pick in five straight drafts, Ersery might be the player with the best chance to keep that going.