Saints nab an offensive tackle in Peter Schrager’s first mock draft of the year

An interesting decision at a glaring need.

NFL Network’s very own Peter Schrager just recently put out his first mock draft of the year, which includes many intriguing selections.

Schrager has the New York Giants moving up to take Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy at no. 4, the Indianapolis Colts moving up to no. 9 to select LSU receiver Malik Nabers and even the Minnesota Vikings staying put at no. 23 and taking Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in Round 1. How fascinating would these moves be? Very.

But because we cover the New Orleans Saints of course, let’s dive into Schrager’s selection for the team and hear what he has to say about the pick:

Pick 14: OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State

Schrager seems to be spot on with the analysis of Fuaga. He plays with lots of aggression especially in the run game and has the versatility to move inside in a pinch if need be. I think many fans would be happy with the selection in all honesty knowing that Fuaga would immediately fill the team’s biggest need by far. A very solid selection overall in Round 1.

Something that did catch my eye, however, is Schrager’s decision to pass up on Alabama offensive tackle J.C. Latham, who ended up going no. 15 to the Bears (projected trade with the Colts). Many experts tend to have Latham as the third-best tackle in this year’s class which makes one wonder if scheme may have played a factor in this selection. It is also quite possible that Schrager has Fuaga ranked ahead of Latham as well. It’ll be interesting to see where this year’s offensive tackles fall once Notre Dame’s Joe Alt comes off the board.

Let us know what you think of Schrager’s selection for the Saints. You can check it out in the link above.