The New Orleans Saints have a lot of questions on the offensive line, but there's at least one that sure is looking like it'll have a positive answer.
The answer is Taliese Fuaga, who has taken smoothly to left tackle and sure looks like he'll be an asset in Year 1, at least based on what we've seen in the first week's worth of training camp practices, as Deuce McAllister explains.
"He’s had his moments, but you haven’t talked about him a lot," McAllister said after Tuesday's action, "so that tells you he’s been good and I think that if that can be the case then it only helps you because now you don’t have to focus and give him as much help."
The Saints selected Fuaga at No. 14 overall and quickly opted to move him across the line to the left side after he played primarily on the right in college. He's had some difficult assignments, primarily in matchups with Chase Young each of the past two days, but he's held up well on the whole and has gotten rave reviews from teammates. That group includes Erik McCoy, who has become a clear leader and veteran presence in the OL room.
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"As long as I’ve been here, he is the best rookie offensive lineman that I’ve seen, just as far as his mental, his physical and I think [Taliese] is a freaking dawg, like, I’m a fan already," McCoy said, before adding that he probably shouldn't talk his teammate up so much so soon. He clearly couldn't help himself.
With the Saints also having a big question mark on the opposite side in Trevor Penning and potentially going with another young player at left guard, a stalwart LT would go a long way.
"if he can just be consistent, continue to pick it up, be able to soak it all in, let him do what he does really, really well ... just make him comfortable," McAllister continued. "So I think the overall part of it is you haven’t seen him have a lot of busts, he seems to get the offensive system, what he’s supposed to be doing and continue to grow in there.”
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