Graham Mertz was a leader on and off the field throughout his collegiate career with the Wisconsin Badgers and Florida Gators. After four seasons at Wisconsin, Mertz had high aspirations with the Gators, especially going into 2024. However, due to injuries, he played just five games in his final season in college.
This didn't stop the Houston Texans from selecting Mertz with the 197th overall pick in the 6th round of the 2025 NFL Draft. After suffering an injury that ended his time at Florida early, Mertz was given a second chance at reviving his career.
He made his NFL preseason debut on Saturday with the Texans, but things did not go his way.
Mertz played the final five offensive drives of the game for the Texans in their 20-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. He went 7-for-14 through the air for 27 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He also carried the ball once for nine yards.
This was obviously not the professional debut that Mertz was looking for. Especially since it was the first time he had taken game reps since Oct. 12, 2024.
Coming into the preseason, Mertz was listed third on the Texans' depth chart for the quarterback position, behind C.J. Stroud and Davis Mills, and ahead of Kedon Slovis. In a battle for a roster spot, this debut did not help Mertz's chances of making the team.
The 6-foot-2, 216-pound quarterback played 50 games in his collegiate career between Wisconsin and Florida. He totaled over 9,000 yards passing with 64 touchdowns and 31 interceptions. His best year in college came with the Gators in 2023, when he threw for just under 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns with just three interceptions.
This type of play is what got Mertz drafted by the Texans, as Florida and Houston fans alike hope he can get back to that form for the rest of the preseason.
Rookie Steps Up in Texans’ Preseason Opener
Luckily, Ersery put out a strong first impression. The rookie out of Minnesota played just a single series back against the Vikings, but that’s all he needed as he helped the Texans' offense drive the field to score the game’s first touchdown.
Ersery didn’t do anything too flashy, but his performance at left tackle was more than satisfactory. Houston ran behind Ersery for 14 of their 26 yards on the initial drive and looked more than comfortable in pass protection.
His block on the play-action rollout to the left that resulted in a Davis Mills-to-Braxton Barrios score, again, while nothing flashy, was a fine example of the 23-year-old executing his assignments.
The Vikings, of course, did not play all of their defensive starters either. Still, their 2024 first-round pick Dallas Turner was lined up across from Ersery on most plays, and Ersery came out as the victor in most of those matchups and against anyone else in purple who fell into his grasp Saturday afternoon.
It’s just as good a sign as any that the Texans’ coaching staff gave Ersery a shot at left tackle to open the preseason and fell comfortably enough with his performance to bring him out of the game after just a single drive. The difference without him was notable as the next left tackle in the lineup, Zach Thomas, gave up a sack two plays into the next drive .
There’s no guarantee that Ersery will land the starting left tackle job, let alone after one preseason performance. Nonetheless, his chances of landing a role on the starting five certainly took a positive hit after Saturday.
