Thursday night’s kickoff game between the North Caroline Tar Heels and host Minnesota Golden Gophers was a tightly contested one. North Carolina prevailed when Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich, considered one of the best potential 2025 NFL Draft prospects at his position, missed his second field goal of the night.
Kesich might have had a rough 2024 debut, but the top consensus NFL prospect for Minnesota and North Carolina each performed impressively. For Golden Gophers LT Aireontae Ersery and Tar Heels RB Omarion Hampton, their first film of the new college season is one they’ll want NFL scouts to watch intently.
Aireontae Ersery
The big Minnesota left tackle looked very much like a potential first-round prospect, which is where he’s often projected in preseason mocks. Ersery uses his long arms and powerful upper-body very well in the run game, firing out from his 6-foot-6 frame with a quicker punch than expected for that length. Even though he’s tall, Ersery showed he could strike lower and nicely follow with good leg drive.
In pass protection, I had just one blocking loss for Ersery on the night. He did a great job handling numerous twists and inside tacks, showing spatial awareness and good short-range footwork. He did get away with being illegally downfield on a couple of early pass blocks where he stayed engaged a little too long as the UNC rusher was trying to get back and away. Hands were pretty clean on the holding front, and he can quickly re-place his hands–again, no easy task for a guy with his length.
Omarion Hampton
I thought the broadcast crew nailed Hampton and his running style when they stated, “he doesn’t get satisfied hitting doubles; he goes for the home run.”
Even though the well-built, 6-foot-1/220 pound Hampton didn’t find the end zone in UNC’s 19-17 win, he definitely showed his explosiveness and acceleration. Hampton didn’t waste time pressing holes and coming out the other side. His ability to subtly shift his hips and shoulders to not take big hits despite being a big target really stood out.
I thought Hampton did well to make the most of poorly-blocked runs, of which there were a few. No. 28 rarely went down on first contact. Hampton also caught all five passes thrown his way, though none wound up breaking big (he netted 17 receiving yards).
Overall, both Ersery and Hampton looked the part of the preseason projections as top-50 talents.
