The Kansas City Chiefs lost the Super Bowl for a multitude of reasons, one of them being their poor offensive line. More specifically, their left tackle situation. The Chiefs were forced to play Joe Thuney, known more as a left guard, out of position. Ultimately, it was their downfall. That’s why many of their fans think Aireontae Ersery, a tackle out of Minnesota, is the missing piece to their offensive line puzzle.
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Chiefs fans were quick to spot Ersery at the NFL Combine. They’ve been searching for the next great offensive line prospect ever since Patrick Mahomes was running for his life in Super Bowl LIX. And fortunately, Ersery was hard to miss. Despite standing at a towering 6-foot-6, 330 pounds, Ersery put together an awesome Combine performance.
He ran a 5.01 forty-yard dash, which, for his size, is the fastest timed run since 2003. Ersery also had a 10-yard split of 1.75, showcasing how quickly he gets off the line and upfield. He even bench-pressed 25 reps of 225 pounds.
Best Fit for The Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery just ran a 5.01-second 40-yard dash
That’s the fastest mark by an offensive lineman that is at least 6’6” and 330 lbs since 2003#gopherfootball | #NFLCombine #chiefs #chiefskingdom… pic.twitter.com/aB7hqH1N9t
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) March 3, 2025
Because of this eye-grabbing Combine performance, Ersery has been shooting up mock draft boards. The Chiefs own the 31st pick at the end of the first round. Will they take a shot on this prospect, hoping he’s the left tackle of the future? Fans sure hope so.
Best Fit for The Kansas City Chiefs
Minnesota offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery just ran a 5.01-second 40-yard dash
That’s the fastest mark by an offensive lineman that is at least 6’6” and 330 lbs since 2003#gopherfootball | #NFLCombine #chiefs #chiefskingdom… pic.twitter.com/aB7hqH1N9t
— Chiefs Blitz (@ChiefsBlitz) March 3, 2025
That is a big, fast man!
— KC Red or Dead (@SeaSkyOutdoors) March 4, 2025
And he’s from Kansas City. Went to Ruskin
— jaylee (@jaynasty0902) March 4, 2025
He’s Born into the Kingdom. Raised in the Kingdom. He is here for one purpose. and that purpose is to protect the one and only true King, Patrick Mahomes pic.twitter.com/MiDbwzWwn5
— BowTie Sports (@BowTieSports_18) March 3, 2025
Well, let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. Ersery put together a great Combine performance, but we can’t put too much emphasis on that. Even if we did, he earned a prospect grade of 6.23 from the NFL scouts; meaning he will eventually be an average starter. So, it will take some time for him to adjust to the NFL level. There are also some concerning weaknesses in his report.
For one, he doesn’t bend his knees and tends to stand upright when blocking. This may have worked for Ersery up to this point in his career, but NFL edge rushers will do everything they can to get around him—and they’ll succeed if he doesn’t adjust and adopt a more athletic stance. Because of this, Ersery projects more as a right tackle than a left tackle protecting Mahomes’ blind side.
So often, when we talk about the best linemen, we focus on how well they establish leverage against defenders. Ersery struggles in that area because he lacks a natural knee bend when blocking. He also has a 33 1/8-inch arm length, which Kansas City fans believe doesn’t meet Andy Reid’s requirements.
Ersery is an exciting prospect who, with the right coaching, may become a solid lineman one day. But Chiefs fans may want to look elsewhere for an immediate fix at the position. He will have to refine his game at the NFL level and it may be more of a project than they initially hoped. Nevertheless, it was still an incredible Combine performance he put together for his size.
