The New Orleans Saints let the board come to them with the No. 14 overall pick, but they still landed their guy in Taliese Fuaga, the road-grading tackle from Oregon State.
And there's one area that WWL draft analyst Mike Detillier sees immediately as elite as it gets in the 2024 class.
“He’s a big power player. I thought he was the best run blocker of all the tackles in this class," Detillier said. "You saw the movement skills. But what jumps out at you is for such a huge man, his movement skills, his ability to sink his hips, bend at the knees. He’s not a waist bender and he plays aggressive.”
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But while run blocking should be an elite trait, Fuaga's strides in pass protection are what truly shot him up draft boards and onto the Saints' radar. He also opted to work at the Senior Bowl, a scouting event the Saints place great stock in but that can sometimes be devoid of top-end first round talent.
“He’s gotten so much better as a pass-protector. … I think that’s the thing that jumps out at me watching him last year from the year before," Detillier continued. "I thought teams and players that gave him a hard inside move, he was getting beat sometimes with it. This year wasn’t nearly as much.”
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In the end there's also no denying the team's need at the position, which head coach Dennis Allen conceded after the draft was certainly a "must." With uncertainty surrounding the long-term viability of Ryan Ramczyk's balky knee, it's possible they'll need a replacement to take the field as early as Week 1 in 2024.
In Fuaga, the Saints have a player that should be able to step into that role immediately.
“I think the Saints got a really good pick here at that right tackle position. … If Ramcyk’s not there," Detillier said, "he’s your starter at right tackle, and I think immediately.”
The Saints have eight more picks in this year's draft, but only one on Day 2 (No. 45 overall), barring trades.