By Niles Carpenter, Saints Contributor

The New Orleans Saints Select Oregon St Offensive Tackle Taliese Fuaga in 1st Round
In a strategic move to bolster their offensive line, the New Orleans Saints picked Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State with the 14th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. The event, held on April 25, saw the Saints secure the services of the 6-foot-6 junior, who has distinguished himself as a formidable force in college football. Coming out of Tacoma, Washington, Fuaga has achieved numerous accolades, including multiple first team All-American honors in 2023, and first team All-Pac-12 recognition. Notably, he was also a finalist for the Polynesian Player of the Year and a semifinalist for both the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award, highlighting his exceptional skills and leadership on the field.

Fuaga’s college career statistics are impressive, with 25 career starts at right tackle in Oregon State‘s balanced offense. His physical attributes, including a large frame and a wingspan of over 81 inches, combined with his athletic prowess—evidenced by a 40-yard dash time of 5.13 seconds and a 32-inch vertical jump—make him a valuable asset. On the field, Fuaga demonstrates excellent quickness in his initial movements and an ability to take effective angles on zone climbs and pulls.

This enables him to handle second-level targets adeptly, creating space and opportunities for his team’s running game, which averaged nearly 170 yards per game during his junior year. Despite some areas needing refinement, such as his lateral redirect quickness, Fuaga’s overall skills, size, and run-blocking ability suggest a promising start to his professional career, potentially as a starting guard in a run-first, play-action system.