The New Orleans Saints braintrust won't spend time worrying about snap-judgement draft grades, an entertaining, albeit meaningless exercise to immediately evaluate every draft pick.
That said, there's no denying that the Saints' typical, aggressive mentality with trades and surprising decisions has been known to grate against the draftheads. This time around with the pick of Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga at No. 14, not so much. The 12 report cards surveyed and the Saints landing no lower than a B, to go with five A grades.
Here's how the grades broke down:
- A: 3
- A-: 2
- B+: 2
- B: 5
Fuaga's talent level, along with his fit at a clear need working in the Saints' favor, according to the grades. The Saints also held firm at No. 14 and let the board deliver them their player, something that might've been difficult to do after Penn State's Olu Fashanu went off the board to the Jets at 11. There appeared to be a clear tier drop after Fuaga on the OT ladder, and the Saints had to sweat out the Broncos at 12 (Bo Nix) and the Raiders at 13 (Brock Bowers).
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Either way the Saints got their target and now have eight more picks to improve the roster, though only one of those picks (No. 45 overall) comes prior to the 5th round, barring any Day 2 trades.
Scroll below for each report card surveyed.
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USA TODAY (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz)
- Grade: B
- Why: "Between Trevor Penning's ineffectiveness and Ryan Ramczyk's questionable health outlook, a New Orleans team always focused on the present essentially had no choice but to take an offensive tackle here. Fuaga would be more of an option as a replacement for Ramczyk than Penning given that he looks likely to stick on the right side. But he can step into a starting role right away if needed, and his protection could be important in allowing Derek Carr to take advantage of Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed on downfield routes."
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THE ATHLETIC
- Grade: A
- Why: "Fuaga (6-5, 324) was dominant at times on the Beavers’ right side last season, as arguably the best run blocker in the country. This is a culture pick as much as anything else, too — Fuaga will help improve the team’s overall toughness up front. Great value for the Saints in the middle of the first round."
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BLEACHER REPORT (Brent Sobleski)
- Grade: B
- Why: "Fuaga's flexibility will be a godsend for the New Orleans Saints. The first-team All-American can immediately slot into left guard, although stalwart right tackle Ryan Ramczyk is also dealing with a serious knee injury that may cause him to retire. If Trevor Penning proves he can handle left tackle, the Saints could be set along their front five. That's still a pretty big question mark, which makes Fuaga the right selection."
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CBS SPORTS (Pete Prisco)
- Grade: B+
- Why: "He fills a major need for the Saints. They have big-time tackle issues. Fuaga is a nasty player who will start right away. Love it."
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WALTER FOOTBALL
- Grade: A-
- Why: "The Saints needed a left tackle, but Taliese Fuaga is a right tackle. However, the Saints need a right tackle as well with Ryan Ramczyk’s season being doomed with his knee injury. This pick makes sense, and Fuaga could have gone a bit earlier than this, so you have to like the slight value."
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NFL DOT COM (Chad reuter)
- Grade: A-
- Why: "With former first-round pick Trevor Penning struggling to live up to his draft billing, Ryan Ramcyzk’s career in serious doubt due to knee issues, and the recent retirement of lineman James Hurst, the Saints had to address offensive tackle in Round 1. Fuaga’s power off the ball, nasty attitude and ability to move to the second level at right tackle made him a favorite among NFL personnel evaluators. He has average arm length (33 1/8 inches) and athleticism, but he's a tone-setter who has a chance to become a long-term starter in the league."
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YAHOO! SPORTS (Charles McDonald)
- Grade: B
- Why: "The Saints needed an offensive lineman with the struggles of Trevor Penning and Ryan Ramczyk’s injury situation. Fuaga can play tackle or guard and will be a big boost for the Saints in the ground game. This is a strong pick that gives the Saints some much needed flexibility and depth up front."
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FOX SPORTS (Rob Rang)
- Grade: A
- Why: "With the long-term health of Ryan Ramczyk in question, the Saints were thought to be considering an offensive lineman early and they were fortunate to have arguably the best run blocker of the draft fall into their lap. Fuaga, at 6-foot-6 and 324 pounds, is shockingly quick off the ball and adjusts to moving targets like a fighter pilot. He's stout and agile in pass protection, as well, and earned the top grade among all offensive linemen at this year's Senior Bowl."
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THE RINGER (Danny Kelly)
- Grade: B+
- Why: "This is a right-down-the-fairway pick for the Saints, who desperately needed a tackle and now draft a good one in Fuaga. The former Beavers standout, who is my fifth-ranked tackle and 19th player overall, is tough and physical in the run game and mirrors well in pass protection. I liked Washington’s Troy Fautanu more, but Fuaga is a plug-and-play starter. This is good news for Derek Carr and the Saints offense."
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NEW YORK POST (Ryan Dunleavy)
- Grade: B
- Why: "Maybe there was no team with a more obvious need than the Saints had at offensive tackle, so they were happy the fourth of the consensus top-four offensive tackles was available. Fuaga finishes his blocks into the dirt."
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THE SPORTING NEWS (Vinnie Iyer)
- Grade: A
- Why: "There wasn’t much separating Fashanu and Fuaga as the best overall blocking tackles in this class after Alt. The Saints had a huge need here given Ryan Ramczyk is a real injury concern and Trevor Penning has been ineffective playing anywhere. His power and sneaky athleticism is great for the new system under Klint Kubiak."
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THE 33RD TEAM (Ian Valentino)
- Grade: B
- Why: "The New Orleans Saints were known as a possible tackle destination. Taliese Fuaga is as powerful as they come in the run game. He must improve his pass pro sets to reach his immense ceiling."