The Gophers football program’s indoor practice facility was filled with a record 17 Minnesota prospects who performed in front of 73 representatives from all 32 NFL teams for the U’s Pro Day on Wednesday. Family, friends, trainers and media members also filled the field.

Among the last to leave were Gophers left tackle Aireontae Ersery and a scout with the Kansas City Chiefs. The pair took an informal seat on the field turf and rested their backs against a padded, maroon wall.

Ersery, a Kansas City, Mo., native, is a projected Top-60 pick in April’s NFL Draft and the offensive tackle-needy Chiefs have three of the first 70 picks.

Obviously, mock drafts are only educated guesses; the actual order of selections can change, and one interview doesn’t tip a team’s hand. But a homecoming would be a dream come true for Ersery, who grew up a Chiefs fan and mentioned how the city becomes sea of red, right down to the color of a fountain in the city’s Country Club Plaza, in the fall.

“It’s always fun,” Ersery said. “But right now I don’t know where I’m going, so I can’t say I’m a Chiefs fan right now.”

Ersery will be a coveted commodity. The Big Ten offensive lineman of the year shined at the Senior Bowl, then at the NFL Scouting Combine, where the 6-foot-6, 331-pounder ran a 40-yard dash in 5.01 seconds.

“I was getting videos sent to me saying, ‘That is a very big guy moving at that speed!’ ” Ersery said.

Ersery’s parents are excited for his future.

“My mother, especially, she asked me a thousand questions,” Ersery said. “My dad still thinks I play defensive tackle, so that is always fun talking to him. He makes me laugh.”

Minnesota Gophers left tackle Aireontae Ersery prepares to do a drill during Pro Day at Athletes Village in Minneapolis on Wednesday, March 19, 2025. (Courtesy of Gophers Athletics)

Big High

One of the most eye-popping numbers from the U’s Pro Day was cornerback Ethan Robinson’s 42-inch vertical jump. It was so high, it exceeded the measuring stick on his second attempt.

“I didn’t know he had it in him,” fellow cornerback Justin Walley joked. “He told me he was going to do 43. I’m like, ’43? You’ve got to show me, bro.’ Forty-two is still crazy to me.”

Walley, a projected later round pick, is working to allay concerns after having right wrist surgery. The Mississippi native can point to 36 consecutive games played from 2021-23 and 10 more last fall.

Look ahead to 2026

Defensive linemen Anthony Smith and Deven Eastern figure to be the U’s headliners at next year’s Pro Day. Fellow D-lineman Jah Joyner, a projected pick this spring, had some advice for the pair.

“Their ceiling is way higher than people expect,” Joyner said. “I just told them, this year, to take it all in, don’t put any pressure on you. I know a lot of people are contacting them now, just like they contacted me last year. Not a lot of pressure, just play your game.”

Crisp session

Quarterback Max Brosmer, tight end Nick Kallerup, receivers Daniel Jackson, Elijah Spencer and other pass catchers had a crisp start to their throwing session. There were no drops early, and a diving catch from Spencer kept it alive later.

When Brosmer overthrew Jackson on a deep ball, the frustrated quarterback clapped his hands, but they got back to their strong connections, albeit without defensive players.

“We’ve put in a lot of hours of prep work into this,” Brosmer said. “Seeing the guys fly around and execute flawlessly was incredible. No one is going to be dead perfect every single time, and I thought the guys did a really good job responding and adjusting to balls that were thrown differently throughout the week, running the routes really efficiently and smooth.”

Backer Up

Mariano Sori-Marin and Cody Lindenberg played together at the U a few years ago and now that Sori-Marin was promoted to linebackers coach, he got to put Lindenberg through drills at his Pro Day.

“Really glad that we got the opportunity to work together again for one last time,” Lindenberg said. “Felt like a little daze for player(-led) practices when veteran Mariano would take lead of the indy drills.”

Sori-Marin was promoted to LB coach in the offseason, with coordinator Corey Hetherman taking the same role at Miami (Fla.).

Lindenberg, who did not test at the scouting combine a few weeks ago, worked out Wednesday. At 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, the Anoka native posted 20 reps on the bench press, a 36.5-inch vertical and a 40-yard dash time around 4.6 seconds.

Briefly

Gophers head coach P.J. Fleck mentioned tight end Nick Kallerup and nickel back Jack Henderson as two of the biggest success stories. Kallerup went from around 200 pounds coming out of Wayzata to roughly 270 now. Henderson had a nearly 40-inch vertical and a 40 around 4.4 seconds on Wednesday, a speed that had new defensive coordinator Danny Collins excited. …. Kicker Dragan Kesich connected on a 65-yard field goal. … Joyner shared that another NFL team was interviewing Winston DeLattiboudere before he joined the Arizona Cardinals as defensive line coach last month. … New York Giants safety Tyler Nubin, the U’s only draft pick in 2024, returned to the U this week. … Minnesota welcomed in more than 10 players from other programs on Wednesday, a collection of small-school prospects and four former U players who transferred away for the rest of their college careers.

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