Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
For those of you here only to learn who a completely uniformed casual the Chiefs selected with the 31st pick in this draft, here’s the tl;dr:
Name: Aireontae Ersery (OT, Minnesota)
Rationale: Did you watch the Super Bowl?
If you’re interested in some additional content that includes, but is not limited to, my thoughts on casual fandom, post-game trash talk, and O-line annihilation, consider reading on.
Be warned, however. This is longer than a Bill Simmons column [1], a lot of innocent bystanders catch strays, and there are enough footnotes to make the ghost of David Foster Wallace cringe.
How I developed (and lost) my neutral fandom for the Chiefs
It started with the State Farm ads.
It was the fall of 2022, and the Kansas City Chiefs were an AFC team that, up until then, I would root for all else being equal.
This affinity of mine was probably explained by the Chief’s decades-long championship drought [2] that was marked by a mix of organizational incompetence [3], bad luck [4], and tragic death [5].
I found two more reasons to root for the Chiefs when they hired Andy Reid [6] and (especially) when they became the main rivals to the Patriots in the late 2010s [7]. When they won the Super Bowl after the 2019 season, I was (along with most Eagles fans I knew) genuinely happy for the team and their fanbase [8].
That win marked a changing of the guard in the AFC. The Chiefs moved into that rent-free space once occupied by Brady and Belichick in the heads of the Bills, Ravens, and the rest of the conference, if not league. This new dynasty was different than the one it replaced. As opposed to the White Welkers [9] encamped in Foxboro, the Chiefs’ style of play made them must-see entertainment for even the most casual of fan and as such made them much less of a hate-watch.
[1] Believe it or not, at one point Bill Simmons was a writer (no, really!). His pioneering approach was at once heavily laden with pop culture references and lightly edited for length, a style I am not unfamiliar with ☺
[2] Something that, as an Eagles fan above the age of 35, I can definitely relate to.
[3] I can relate to that as well
[4] And that
[5] And, sadly, that also. RIP #99
[6] Who had imo a remarkably amicable parting with the Eagles org and fanbase
[7] For the youngins: Why was it hard to root for the Pats? Glad you asked
[8] Which, let’s be honest, was akin to being happy for an ex who gets married AFTER the same thing happened to you first.
[9] Not a typo
After 4 years into this new era of Chiefs dominance, however, I started to get annoyed. While any team that keeps winning will eventually start to grate on neutrals, for me the process was accelerated by the kind of extreme overexposure that happens when a superstar is given the chance to make (very) large amounts of money starring in commercials for the same company that end up appearing during what seemed like EVERY commercial break in EVERY NFL game.
I didn’t have reason to hate the Chiefs, but I definitely didn’t like them the way that I had before.
Then came the Super Bowl, and the T-shirts.
No matter how much I might support another team in the abstract, if they are playing the Birds (especially in the Super Bowl), by rule they have to become the enemy, even if only temporarily.
That noted, and even though I was getting even more fatigued from all the commercials and the “Travis and Taylor: Will they or won’t they?” [10] coverage seeping into my daily newsfeed, I still held relatively little animus for them.
After all, there was still a lot tying those teams together. Reid, the Kelce brothers, and Spags were but a few of the coaches and players whom I respected and had historical or familial ties to the Eagles.
I suspect that relatively mild enmity in the runup to SB LVII was one reason why I was not as miserable in the aftermath of that defeat as I have been after (many) other terrible Eagles losses. [11].
Like a gut punch that produced minimal internal bleeding, in the first few days after the game I was bummed but not despondent.
There were, however, a lot of what-ifs that did gnaw at me as a fan: he-who-shalt-not-be-named forgetting to gameplan or (perish the thought) making half-time adjustments [12], inconsistent refereeing that reared its head at the worst possible time, and (most frustratingly) a field that seemed an unholy offspring of Metlife Stadium, an ice rink, and whatever the **** the Birds and Packers played on in Brazil.
Those kinds of reasons, which have little to do with the actual play of the teams, are tempting to blame but imo are best left as regrets about a hard-fought battle than ended in the L column rather than used as excuses, the latter being an approach that is unproductive and would be inevitably construed by others as whining.
To their credit, the team and (imo) most of the fanbase took the high road, sucked it up, and moved on. [13]
Which brings us to the T-shirts.
[10] I must admit, “Will they or won’t they” is genius-level clickbait. Will they or won’t they what? The possibilities are limited only to every verb in the English language that two people could partake in together. As such, obsessives have to click to find out whether they might _____: go on vacation, breakup or (gasp) get engaged (Swifties), “consummate their relationship” (incels and other perverts-you know who you are), or “take a break from social media” (everyone else, eventually)
[11] As for terrible losses, the 2004, 2008, and (especially) 2003 NFC championship games along with SB XXXIX were much worse for me to endure.
[12] I still can’t get out of my head the reports of our defensive coordinator appearing absolutely giddy to on-lookers during post-game team events after the Superbowl. At least the Eagles got the equivalent of a 4th round pick out of that ****.
[13] Large portions of 49ers roster and fanbase might want to take note of this approach
A brief interlude on the topic of post-game trash talk, deserved and otherwise
When it comes to post-game trolling of an opponent, I believe there are three main types.
The first category is what I like to refer to “stealth” trolling. It gets its name from the way in which it is expressed, either behind closed doors or through inscrutable smiles and subtle innuendo when in public. [14]
Stealth trolling is most commonly employed in response to outsiders such as the media, whose pursuit of the perpetual quest for clicks tends their prose and rhetoric towards the hyperbolic. These sorts of provocations make it to the bulletin board but carry with them a different vibe than the kind which comes from the person you will be lining up against on Sunday.
I think a good example of stealth trolling came in the leadup to and aftermath of the NFC championship game. Jayden Daniels was insanely hyped up by the press but he himself didn’t trash talk before the game and, notably, “held the L” afterwards. While the Eagles were given extra motivation to stop Daniels by the media, they didn’t go out of their way to trash talk him afterwards. Between some cryptic post-game comments and what I suspect was locker room footage left on the Mic’d up cutting room floor, I have little doubt that they privately enjoyed serving the doubters some crow.
The second (and most well-known) form of after the fact trash talk is what I call the “They started it, you finish it” (TSiYFi) scenario.
In a TSiYFi situation, your opponent is the one publicly supplying the bulletin board content, and you are the one paying them back, in public, with interest. Examples of TSiYFi abound, including examples you can watch here and here [15].
TSiYFi, to my way of thinking, is part of what makes sports (and sports fandom) so great. It’s public, spicy, and the rules are very clear.
For the troll-er, it is your right, nigh your responsibility to bring the noise after slaying those that talked it but didn’t walk it. Through any number of public means you can assert your rightful standing atop the metaphorical corpse of your opponent’s ego.
As for the troll-ee, you have no choice to take it. When your mouth/IG account writes checks your play can’t cash, it’s time to pay the piper.
Finally, there is a third category of troll, one notable primarily for being both unprovoked and unwarranted. I refer to this version as the “Anger the Gods of Karma” (AtGoK) scenario.
In AtGoK, a winner takes a trash talking victory lap after their otherwise gracious opponent got boned by external forces beyond either team’s control such as the weather or particularly egregious refereeing.
A key feature of the AtGoK scenario is that it doesn’t end with the victor’s inappropriate (and public) flex. Rather, AtGoK is, like life, a multi-period game, one in which those blasphemed karmic deities return with a vengeance
I consider one historical example of AtGoK to be LeBron’s infamous 2016 halloween party, thrown in the wake of an NBA finals series marked by a critical (and league-determined) game 5 suspension of Draymond Green that marked a turning point in the Cavs comeback [16].
The next time those teams met in the finals, things did not go quite as well for LeBron and his fellow Knights of the Flammable Fire Lake. [17]
Another excellent (and highly relevant) example of AtGoK began with the Chiefs’ decision to wear “Zero Sacks” t-shirts during their Super Bowl parade. To wit:
The Eagles D-line was hyped leading up to SB LVII, but afaik did not trash talk in advance of the game. [18]
The field was so terrible it was almost impossible for players who had to make hard cuts disproportionally affecting the Eagles’ D-line as it was the unit that was, according to most observers, the biggest mismatch for the Chiefs.
In a situation like this, a victorious O-line could have chosen the stealth approach and celebrate their win and no Eagles sacks in private and/or through generic references in public.
Instead, they did this, throwing a series of proverbial, sartorial, haymakers at the Birds during a post-game parade for all of Kansas City and the internet to see.
You know who else saw those “Zero Sacks” t-shirts? [19] That’s right, the Eagles.
The Eagles, especially the linemen, were well-aware that the underlying assertion behind those tees (i.e. the Eagles D-line got crushed in a fair fight) was b.s. given the field conditions and on some level hoped that they would have the chance to play the Chiefs again in the Super Bowl on a functional field.
[14] For the sake of this exercise I still consider it trolling even if it is not blatantly overt but detectable
[15] Technically you could argue that in Harper’s case he was responding to what the Arcia and the Braves thought was stealth trolling after game 2. That is what Arcia claimed, saying it was meant to be behind closed doors with the team. Rules is rules, however, so if you said it and it gets recorded, consider oneself fair game for payback.
[16] For the uninitiated, the validity of that sentence has been the subject of approximately 2 terabytes worth of online flame wars courtesy of our friends at NBA twitter; a digital battle of the 5 armies that includes LeBron fans, LeBron haters, Steph fans, Steph haters, and general rabble rousers who are there primarily to watch that world continue to burn. Say what you want about the NBA taking a back seat to the NFL in terms of popularity- when it comes to petty beefs and scorching, endlessly debated hot takes, the NBA has and will always reign supreme.
[17] Well, two times, actually.
[18] Neither BLG nor I could recall this occurring, and a subsequent internet search turned up nothing to suggest otherwise. Given the Eagles reaction (more on that below) I don’t think either of us missed anything.
[19] Besides the Karmic Gods, who were clearly taking notes.
Super Bowl LIX, aka “Oh my gosh, they killed him”
This brings us to February of 2025, and the karmic gods indeed saw to it that a Super Bowl rematch of many of the same players and coaches occurred in New Orleans.
This time around I was realllllly sick of the Chiefs along with apparently every other NFL fanbase. [20]
Also, I hadn’t forgotten about “zero sacks” parade, which still ****ed me off.
More importantly, the Eagles hadn’t forgotten either.
In lieu of summarizing an event that everyone reading this has rewatched at least 40 times, might I suggest as a change of pace you check out this this analysis by the aptly named Oline Committee, a podcast co-hosted by former NFL linemen Alex Boone and Jeremiah Sirles.
In a little under a half hour of film study they break down, chapter and verse, how the Birds D-line utterly destroyed the Chiefs.
There is so much gold in this YouTube masterpiece. A few highlights:
1:20: “Now I want to say this…if they blitz you this many (zero) times, and they get home five times? Your *** is getting cut. Again, if they send FOUR, and you have FIVE, and they get home FIVE times? Your *** is getting cut”
12:30: “Dude you tackled your own quarterback…….does Caliendo get half a sack for that one?”
18:42: “…oh my gosh, they killed him”
Seriously, go savor it. I’ll wait.
There is nothing quite like the experience of watching expert, experienced, neutrals glaze your favorite team in glorious detail. [21]
It is extra special when this includes a verbal evisceration of the same O-line that decided to challenge the gods of karma two years prior. [22]
In the end, I think it’s safe to say that the Chiefs’ AtGoK bill has been paid.
As it turned out, that wasn’t the only silver lining for them from that shebacle. [23] It was such a bad day at the office for the Chiefs that their Hall of Fame Tight End was forced to NOT retire just so that he wouldn’t have to swallow that as his last NFL memory. [24]
So now, in the wake of all of this, what should the Chiefs learn from this vis a vis the offseason and (especially) the draft?
[20] How weird is it that in both of the Eagles SB wins, the vast majority of non-NFC East fans were rooting for Philly? I get that they were really rooting against the Pats and Chiefs, but it still felt weird.
[21] This is what happens to your vocabulary when you have a 12-year old boy in the house. I think hope he doesn’t understand what it actually refers to.
[22] While it’s not the exact same Chiefs o-line that was there in SB LVII and some of the blame could be directed at poor drafting by the FO and/or development from the coaching staff, the gods of karma do not care.
[23] h/t to Sheil Kapadia for exposing me to the perfect use case of Urban Dictionary to share with the old(er) heads in my life.
[24] Two points here: First-it sure looked (and sounded) like TK was on his way out. While we can’t live in the counterfactual and know for sure I suspect he would have hung ‘em up even if it was a close Chiefs loss. Second-There is no way his decision to come back had anything to do with money. His NFL salary basically pays the taxes on his other income these days, and it’s not like he has to spend any of it on his girlfriend. I hear she’s doing okay on her own.
We now meander back to the actual purpose of this column
Right, the draft.
I am writing this before the community mock begins so I don’t know the position(s) of the players left on the board at pick 31. It doesn’t matter. If I was their GM I would draft a center, guard, or offensive tackle. 100%. Guaranteed.
I don’t care if literally every prior pick until now had been an O-lineman, leaving me with a choice set that includes Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, and a Lumon-reanimated clone of Jim Brown in his prime, I will be drafting for the O-line.
Why? Because I am an NFL GM and I don’t want to be fired. How do I ensure that I remain gainfully employed? Keeping the cheat code in human form who wears number 15 alive, if not healthy.
Therefore I would take as many shots at repairing the O-line before JC, Nolan, and the rest of Vic’s green reapers come to Arrowhead next season, if not sooner.
Whether it be through the franchise tag (check), free agent market (check), or the draft, I would do everything humanly possible to avoid a scenario where Mahomes’ own teammates get charged with aiding an attempted manslaughter.
Some might contend that it would be smarter to draft an elite skill player or a top defensive prospect with the idea that those players could also indirectly help reduce the pressure on Mahomes.
Others might argue against an O-line first rounder since offense since precious cap resources this offseason were already used on signing a new OT and tagging their all-pro guard.
I disagree.
Just like the Eagles with wide receivers a few years ago; in the past few years the Chiefs have not, imo, demonstrated the ability to evaluate or develop offensive linemen. [25]
In those situations, I think you don’t mess around and either a) draft someone who is as sure a thing as possible or b) acquire a proven star through a trade or free agency (or pull a Howie and do both).
I for one do not consider the Jaylon Moore signing even in the same solar system as the AJ Brown trade, which at this point leaves only the draft as an option remaining to bolster their O-line
(Fast forwarding to mid-April….)
Now that the board has played out and a number of promising O-line choices are off the board, I’m left with a couple of folks to consider.
For example, I’d be willing to think about Anthony Belton, an OT who had officials to the Chiefs and other teams like the Eagles. He seems likely to go much higher than his current early day 3 projection but at 31 seems like a relative reach compared to a number of O-line prospects who have a first-round grade and (unfortunately) are already off the board.
With that in mind I would not want to overthink it and (acknowledging the risk in drafting someone who still needs some polish) go with the best O-lineman at 31 and call it a day.
For me that person is Aireontae Ersery.
Ersery is an OT that a lot of people including Fran Duffy have been high on and has even been pegged to a few teams (including the Eagles) at the end of round 1. Scouting reports suggest he is a bit raw but his measurables are great and that he has high upside as a prospect. All of this has boosted his expected draft slot which now sits in the early day 2 range. He has also taken a Top 30 visit to K.C. which means that the Chiefs coaching staff has shown real interest.
Since he would likely be gone well before their next picks at #63 and #66, in this scenario they would have to either draft him at #31 or hope he would still be available a trade up (bundling 63 and 66) or modest trade down from 31.
Will it be enough to keep #15 alive and active enough [26] to keep the Chiefs as a Super Bowl contender? We will see.
[25] To be fair, no amount of development can help when your blocking scheme includes putting a tight end on a defensive end on a drop back or deciding to put a guard out on an island at left tackle for the Super Bowl.
[26] Beyond more commercials, of course. I’m sure those will be coming no matter what.
Poll
Do you approve of this pick?
This poll is closed
58%
41%
147 votes total
Vote Now
2025 BGN Mock Draft Order
1) Titans (JoeDirtsBarber): Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
2) Browns (kjb304): Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
3) Giants (The Player Formerly Known as Mousecop): Cam Ward, QB, Miami
4) Patriots (ReginaldHtower): Will Campbell, OT, LSU
5) Jaguars (eaglenomics): Mason Graham, DT, Michigan
6) Raiders (dkays): Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
7) Jets (Stick19154): Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
8) Panthers (89Tremaine): Will Johnson, CB, Michigan
9) Saints (FierceDisc65): Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
10) Bears (DrprofBubbles): Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
11) 49ers (granthill7): Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
12) Cowboys (Be subpar for Ja’Marr): Kelvin Banks Jr., OT, Texas
13) Dolphins (thehead92): Jahdae Barron, CB, Texas
14) Colts (green1us): Grey Zabel, OL, North Dakota State
15) Falcons (All_Hail_Howie): James Peace Jr., EDGE, Tennessee
16) Cardinals (Good Bad Ideas): Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
17) Bengals (ablesser88): Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M
18) Seahawks (herbalonius): Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
19) Buccaneers (Hoosinole): Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama
20) Broncos (Silverlark60): Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
21) Steelers (Dr.MidnightGreen): Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
22) Chargers (LancGuy): Kenneth Grant, DT, Michigan
23) Packers (Leo Bedio): Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
24) Vikings (krikkebelgium): Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
25) Texans (Aint1stULast): Josh Simmons, OT, Ohio State
26) Rams (Booth12): Nick Emmanwori, S, South Carolina
27) Ravens (pheebthegoose): Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
28) Lions (Neil Dutton): Nic Scourton, EDGE, Texas A&M
29) Commanders (Mailata_in_a_Miata): Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College
30) Bills (PhilaWolverine): Derrick Harmon, DT, Oregon
31) Chiefs (niels.rosenquist): Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
32) Eagles (Philly21)
Now it’s time for you to vote for who YOU think should be selected in the 2025 BGN Community Consensus Mock Draft.
Poll
Who should the Chiefs pick at No. 31?
This poll is closed
13%
OT Aireontae Ersery
(19 votes)
43%
OT Josh Conerly Jr.
(63 votes)
9%
OG Donovan Jackson
(14 votes)
0%
CB Azareye’h Thoma
(1 vote)
0%
CB Maxwell Hairston
(1 vote)
0%
CB Shavon Revel
(0 votes)
0%
19%
DT Walter Nolen
(28 votes)
5%
OG Tyler Booker
(8 votes)
2%
EDGE Nic Scourton
(3 votes)
4%
WR Matthew Golden
(6 votes)
0%
WR Luther Burden
(1 vote)
0%
DT Tyleik Williams
(0 votes)
144 votes total
Vote Now
1) Titans: QB Cam Ward
2) Browns: EDGE Abdul Carter
3) Giants: WR/CB Travis Hunter
4) Patriots: OT Will Campbell
5) Jaguars: DT Mason Graham
6) Raiders: RB Ashton Jeanty
7) Jets: OT Armand Membou
8) Panthers: CB Will Johnson
9) Saints: EDGE Jalon Walker
10) Bears: TE Tyler Warren
11) 49ers: OT Kelvin Banks Jr.
12) Cowboys: WR Tetairoa McMillan
13) Dolphins: OT Josh Simmons
14) Colts: TE Colston Loveland
15) Falcons: EDGE Mykel Williams
16) Cardinals: EDGE James Pearce Jr.
17) Bengals: EDGE Shemar Stewart
18) Seahawks: QB Shedeur Sanders
19) Buccaneers: LB Jihaad Campbell
20) Broncos: RB Omarion Hampton
21) Steelers: QB Jaxson Dart
22) Chargers: DT Kenneth Grant
23) Packers: CB Jahdae Barron
24) Vikings: S Malaki Starks
25) Texans: OL Grey Zabel
26) Rams: WR Emeka Egbuka
27) Ravens: S Nick Emmanwori
28) Lions: EDGE Mike Green
29) Commanders: EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku
30) Bills: DT Derrick Harmon
31) Chiefs: