‘He’s unbelievable,’ Minnesota offensive line coach Brian Callahan on Texans rookie tackle Aireontae Ersery

HOUSTON – Towering above his new teammates, Texans rookie Aireontae Ersery definitely looked the part of a prototypical offensive tackle during his first NFL practice.

Long-armed, tall, mobile and strong, the second-round draft pick and former Big Ten Conference Offensive Lineman of the Year is off to a fast start as the Texans wrapped up a rookie minicamp.

“Ersery, he moves well for his size, big man, strong guy,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “And he did a great job today in his drills.”

The third-team All-American allowed just five career sacks, yielding just one sack and one quarterback hit during his final college season. He played only three snaps at left guard, and seven snaps at right tackle over the past three years.

Now, Ersery is determined to make an impact as he gets acclimated to the NFL.

While the Texans have experienced blockers who can play left tackle and right tackle in Cam Robinson, Blake Fisher, Tytus Howard and Trent Brown, Ersery is such a talented prospect he’s a prime candidate to quickly lock down a starting job.

“Being a Houston Texan, honestly. I couldn’t be walking into a better situation,” Ersery said. “We were a big culture school at Minnesota and the Texans is the same as well. We talk about swarm mentality, at Minnesota we talked about nekton mentality, always attacking and never full. I take pride in protecting my quarterback and opening holes up for my running back.”

The Texans traded the 58th pick of the second round and a third round selection, 99th overall, to the Las Vegas Raiders to draft Ersery, who was projected as a potential first-round draft pick.

Ersery will remain at tackle as he starts his NFL career. That’s how the Texans view the 6-foot-6, 331-pound Kansas City native.

“Adding Ersery through our team through the draft, really liked his tape in college at tackle,” Ryans said. “He played left tackle, so we’ll start him out at tackle and see how he does there. My vision for him was always he can help us at tackle.”

The reason why the topic of where Ersery will line up is primarily because they have an experienced veteran at left tackle after signing Cam Robinson to a one-year, $14.5 million contract. The Texans have options at right tackle, including a returning starter in Fisher, Howard, who can play left guard or right tackle, and Brown, a 6-8, 380-pound swing tackle and a former Pro Bowl selection.

Ersery can play on either side. At his height, though, he’s not regarded as an ideal guard candidate.

“I’m up for whatever they ask me to do, that’s the type of guy I am,” Ersery said. “I’m just here to be a vessel and keep getting better each and every day. We’re going to look up and see where the sun is at when that time comes.”

A former basketball player who caught the eye of the University of Minnesota coaching staff at a football camp at Lindenwood University when he was in high school, Ersery built a rich legacy for the Golden Gophers.

Here’s a KPRC 2 interview with Minnesota offensive line coach and run game coordinator Brian Callahan:

KPRC 2: What kind of growth have you seen from Aireontae Ersery?

Callahan: It’s kind of funny you bring that up chronologically in terms of going from high school to the pros because I remember when we recruited him. When we got him, I remember after like maybe the first year I remember one time for some reason I think we were hosting another prospect and I was giving him a ride and he asked me: ‘Do you really I think I have a chance to make it to the NFL?’ I said, ‘Well, if you keep your attitude the way you have it now or you want to work, we’re big into changing your best around here and getting a little bit better every day. If you stick to that attitude, yes.’

“I guarantee he remembers that conversation because I think there was the first time he really started thinking about, ‘Maybe I can be a pro.’ In terms of him, he’s got a great knack of being coachable in this sense like, we’ll coach him hard and get after him. If he made a mistake or whatever when he was younger, he could bounce back and he never let that affect him and he kept working to get better.”

KPRC 2: From his background, his family was in a homeless shelter at one point and he was raised by a single mother who worked multiple jobs, what did you learn about him and his mom?

Callahan: “In particular, his mom is very, very important to it all. She’s a wonderful lady. I do know that there were some obstacles. As a coach, you always try to do everything you can to make sure that your players have the support that they need. I always felt like. even though they maybe didn’t have much, she definitely has been a rock for him. Somebody that has inspired him. She’s always somebody that he’s always talked about and made sure that their relationship was really solid.”

KPRC 2: He was saying he had hoop dreams. Is he that good at basketball?

Callahan: “Yeah, he’s about 6’7, but I kind of laugh at what you’re saying because he thinks he was some basketball ability. We kind of debate that a little bit here and there. One time we had a three-point shooting contest and he put his hand up right away and probably a third of the room was like, ‘No, no, we’re getting somebody else. Because I think he’s probably more like a wrestler thinking that he could play basketball.”

KPRC 2: Sometimes, it’s how the world sees you, right?

Callahan: “That’s right, that’s right. Not always how you see yourself.

KPRC 2: How quickly did you plan on plugging him in as a new recruit?

Callahan: “That’s interesting you bring that up because I feel like in good programs, you’re going to be developed for a year or two and then play two to three years. And so his track, I think was right on target in terms of you know we were a good offensive line. Arguably, a really, really good offensive line. So, it wasn’t like he was waiting his turn. I think that is a combination of him being developed and that we did have some players that were there in front of him, so to speak.

“We knew from the day we started working with him that he’s going to be special. It was just getting him to reach his potential. He did start one game as a true freshman against Nebraska. And it was it was one of our favorite wins. It was a little bit fast for him, at first. But then, as the game went on, he sped up and was able to be a part of a really special victory. And then we still had a lot of players coming back, you know, like you talked about Daniel Faalele (Baltimore Ravens) and John Michael Schmitz (New York Giants), so we were pretty good. He starts as a redshirt sophomore and he ends up being a great player. I feel like he did a great job of maximizing his potential.”

KPRC 2: There’s a lot of great pass rushers in the Big Ten Conference. When he had a strong game against Penn State edge Abdul Carter, did that game say something to you about his skills and competitiveness?

Callahan: “Definitely, but I think he just did what he was capable of doing, like you said. Obviously, Abdul Carter is a great player, and we had to game plan to make sure that we accounted for him. Penn State did a good job of moving him around and such, but there was plenty of times that they went head-to-head, and, I definitely feel like that Aireantae more than held his own against him.”

KPRC 2: You worked with Nick Caley at Akron and Eastern Illinois, what do you think of Aireontae playing for him in Houston?

Callahan: “We’ve known each other for a long time, and I’m very proud of Nick. And, obviously, I knew that they had brought him in for an interview. But I’m just excited that Aireontae has got an opportunity to be a part of a great offense with Nick."

KPRC 2: For him to be named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year in such a strong conference for linemen, what did that mean to you?

Callahan: “It’s a great testament to what he was able to do in that. conference. You’re right, we do a great job here in the Big Ten Conference with developing the position. Obviously, winning that award is like a huge deal to us and we’re very proud of him. The development that we’ve done here with all our players, it was great that they were able to recognize him for being the best offensive lineman last year.”

KPRC 2: That recruiting story, noticing him in that camp at Lindenwood in the St. Louis area, what do you remember about that day?

Callahan: “I think it’s very interesting because, like I mentioned to you, this is one of these camps where there’s a ton of kids and they roll like three sessions a day. Most of the coaches had left, and I’m watching them do broad jump and sure enough Aireontae stood out an I’m like, ‘Damn.’ P.J. Fleck always remembers this story because he was wearing these blue shorts and so to this day all these years later he says, ‘Well, keep an eye on blue shorts.

“So. we started developing a relationship and watched this high school tape from Ruskin. He had some decent tape, but we also felt like you know there’s some raw material there that we can really develop. We were his first Power Five school offer. And then he started getting some after that, but we had developed a relationship, got him up on the visit. He ended up committing and long story short, the rest is history."

KPRC 2: “They talk about the culture you guys have built under P.J. Fleck, how much did he typify that mindset?

Callahan: “We take a lot of pride in our culture here and what we’ve been able to do through the years. At the end of the day, it’s about changing your best on a daily basis and holding each other to standards. We always talk about that. And, you know that’s not easy to do. Everybody says they want to do it, but actually doing it is the difference. And I think that’s what’s led us to be successful and consistent. No, we’re not satisfied where we’re at. We know we want to keep getting better and keep taking this program to the next level."

KPRC 2: What’s his personality like?

Callahan: “I mean, he’s a wonderful young man. He’s just a lot of fun to be around. He’s got a good way about himself. Good teammate. All the guys like him. He’s the guy that is gonna carry himself. He’s not overly cocky by any means, and he’s a good guy.

“He’s unbelievable. It’s about being consistent with using his techniques and God-given ability, and, you know, I mean, they’ll figure out specifically what they want him to get better at, and I just think he’s got a bright future.”

KPRC 2: Could you see him playing guard or purely at tackle?

Callahan: “I’m sure he could. I think he’s a tackle, but I do think that he has the ability to play elsewhere. He could definitely play guard, for sure. And I’ve been asked that question by a lot of people."

Aaron Wilson is a Texans and NFL reporter for KPRC 2 and click2houston.com

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