New Orleans Saints select Taliese Fuaga in first round of 2024 NFL Draft

Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga has been selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taken with the No. 14 overall pick.

Fuaga was widely regarded as one of the top available offensive tackles in the draft class.

He has plenty of experience playing at a high level, appearing in 39 games for the Beavers en route to earning All-Pac-12 honors. The accolades speak for themselves.

In addition to earning All-Pac-12 first-team honors, Fuaga also was named a first-team All-American by the FWAA, CBS Sports, ESPN, Pro Football Focus and Phil Steele. He was named a second-team All-American by the AP, AFCA, Walter Camp, Sporting News, The Athletic and USA Today.

Fuaga was an Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award semifinalist, as well.

At 6 foot 6, 334 pounds, Fuaga has great size and should be an asset with his strength and power at the next level.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Taliese Fuaga

There are a lot of areas that Fuaga can work to polish in his game still, which gives him considerable upside, because he’s already a pretty good player.

There seems to be more to fix as a run blocker than a pass blocker, where Fuaga tends to excel.

NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein hit on some of those concerns in his evaluation of Taliese Fuaga:

“Beefy right tackle capable of playing at a high level despite his lack of ideal pad level and lower-body bend. Fuaga plays with a fairly aggressive disposition. He’s a one-pop blocker who struggles to clinch into his run blocks and is therefore forced to work overtime to sustain and finish.

“The pass protection technique is outstanding, and he possesses the athleticism to mirror and match edge-to-edge rush movements. Fuaga’s hand work is exceptional in pass pro and will need to remain so, because of his lack of desired range for recovering when beaten. A team could slide him to guard to improve its interior protection, but he’s best-suited at right tackle, where he should become a good starter.”