Saints stay put, pick Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga in first round

There was much conjecture about the New Orleans Saints flipping their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to trade up, as they often do, or even to trade down to acquire additional picks.

Former Saints head coach Sean Payton frequently used the expression “don’t eat the cheese” with his players and the organization while he was here. The Saints must have been tempted to go after the cheese with players like Brock Bowers still available a pick ahead of their spot.

Instead, the Saints stuck to the script, resisting the urge to trade up, staying in their 14th overall spot and addressing a dire need.

New Orleans chose tackle Taliese Fuaga from Oregon State, a player highly ranked on their board. Fuaga certainly has the ability to play right tackle, the position currently occupied by Ryan Ramczyk. The issue with Ramczyk is his balky knee, which has cast doubt on his career.

Once the Atlanta Falcons surprised everyone by selecting Michael Penix, the Saints were virtually assured of acquiring a good tackle, and they certainly feel they got one. New Orleans has one pick on day two, the 45th overall pick in the second round, and on day three, the Saints have four picks in the fifth round, two sixth-round picks, and a seventh-round selection.

Fuaga (6-6, 324) was a first-team All-American this past season. He was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Trophy. Fuaga is described as technically sound and aggressive, with a high motor. He is athletic for his size and is regarded as a good pass blocker, evidenced by not giving up a sack in his last two seasons with the Beavers. Fuaga is seasoned, having played in 39 games over four seasons at Oregon State, starting his last two seasons. He was the fourth tackle chosen, behind Joe Alt, JC Latham and Olu Fashanu.

Some believe Fuaga will make an excellent NFL guard, but there is a need at tackle where others think he can thrive at the next level.

Did the Saints get value with Fuaga? Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network had Fuaga rated as his 10th best player on the big board. Jeremiah believes Fuaga could play left tackle if needed and expressed that Fuaga is a good run blocker to complement his pass blocking ability.

It appears the Saints addressed a huge need while achieving value and not reaching for that need in the process.

Now, fans can only hope he is not the second coming of 2022 first rounder Trevor Penning while also hoping Penning can find his way in his upcoming third season at a position that still desperately needs a productive starter. Andrus Peat, last year’s surprising fill-in at left tackle, is on the market as a free agent.

Meanwhile, the Saints got the beef with Fuaga without the cheese, thankfully.

Saints “marry” need and value by drafting Taliese Fuaga

Per the New Orleans Saints:

Fuaga, a 6-foot-6 junior from Tacoma, Wash., earned multiple first team All-American honors in 2023. A standout in the Pac-12, he received first team All-Pac-12 accolades and was recognized as a Polynesian Player of the Year finalist. He was a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 2023. Throughout his junior year, Taliese helped his team average nearly 170 yards per game rushing.

PROFILE:

Taliese Fuaga
Position: Offensive Line
Height: 6-6
Year: Junior
Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
High School: Mount Tahoma
PRONOUNCED Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah

2023 (JUNIOR) • FWAA All-America First Team • CBS Sports / 247Sports All-America First Team • ESPN All-America First Team • Pro Football Focus All-America First Team • Phil Steele All-America First Team • Associated Press All-America Second Team • AFCA All-America Second Team • Walter Camp All-America Second Team • The Sporting News All-America Second Team • The Athletic All-America Second Team • USA Today All-America Second Team • All-Pac-12 First Team • AP All-Pac-12 First Team • Phil Steele All-Pac-12 First Team • Polynesian Player of the Year Finalist • Outland Trophy Semifinalist • Lombardi Award Semifinalist • ESPN.com Midseason All-America First Team • Pro Football Focus Midseason All-America First Team • Associated Press Midseason All-America First Team • CBS Sports Midseason All-America First Team • 247 Sports Midseason All-America First Team • USA Today Midseason All-America First Team • The Athletic Midseason All-America Second Team • Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team • Lombardi Award Watch List • Outland Trophy Watch List • Polynesian Player Of The Year Watch List • Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week (Oct. 16) • Played in 12 games • Part of an offensive line that helped OSU average nearly 5 yards per carry and almost 170 yards per game • Played in 700 snaps • Earned an 88.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, and a 90.9 mark in run blocking. PFF graded him at 80.0 in pass blocking

2022 (SOPHOMORE) • PFF All-America Honorable Mention • All-Pac-12 Second Team • Associated Press All-Pac-12 Second Team • PFF All-Pac-12 First Team • Phil Steele All-Pac-12 Third Team • Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year Watch List • Played in and started all 13 games • Part of an offensive line that helped pave the way for the Beavers to average 396 yards per game overall and 196.5 on the ground, which was among the league’s leaders • Graded out at 80.8 by Pro Football Focus, including a 79.6 mark in run blocking

2021 (FRESHMAN) • Saw action in 10 games • Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll

2020 (FRESHMAN) • Saw action in four games MOUNT TAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL • Letterwinner for head coach Leon Hatch • Rated three stars by both 247Sports and Rivals • Played in the 2020 Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu on Jan. 18. Announced to the bowl in June 2019 • Played on the defensive line in addition to the offensive line • Named First-Team All-League on the offensive line as a senior. Earned second-team honors on the defensive line • Earned an All-Area nomination • Selected Second-Team All-League on the offensive line as a junior • Tallied 40 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior PERSONAL • Son of Sau and Manuia Fuaga • Has three brothers: Alapati, Austin and Manuia • Has one sister, Ashleyanne • Majoring in sociology • Chose Oregon State because “it was the best fit for me and my family.”