Saints land OT Taliese Fuaga at No. 14, adding big talent at key position
The New Orleans Saints waited their turn and ultimately landed a perfect fit at a position of need with Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga.
The former Beaver profiles at right tackle and adds a needed safety net with Ryan Ramczyk continuing to rehab from a knee issue.
The Saints went into the day with a clear need at offensive tackle, and the draft board fell to them the way they'd hoped. There was an early run on quarterbacks and some surprise picks, including Michael Penix to the Falcons at No. 8, pushing the top tackles back on the board. There were four other quarterbacks that went off the board ahead of the Saints (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy) as well as three wide receivers (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze.
The board included five quarterbacks in the top 10, and all 10 selections were offensive players, both circumstances occurring for the first time in draft history. No defensive player came off the board in the first 14 picks.
The Saints reportedly listened to trade offers to potentially move back, but nothing developed.
Holding serve at 14 means the Saints still have pick No. 45, then four 5th rounders, two 6th rounders and a 7th round selection.
