Why the Saints drafted Taliese Fuaga at pick 14

The New Orleans Saints have found their new tackle.

Finally, we have the answer for who the New Orleans Saints will draft at pick 14: Taliese Fuaga. Surprisingly, the Saints had many options at pick 14, such as Laiatu Latu, Dallas Turner, and Troy Fautanu. Even with those options, the Saints decided on Fuaga, but why?

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The Saints desperately needed to draft a certified tackle at pick 14 and could not pass that up. One of the main reasons that the Saints did this was the concerns around Ryan Ramczyk. We may never see him play again, and Fuaga will replace him at right tackle. Another reason the Saints liked Fuaga over other options is because of the scheme fit. He can slot right into the Saints’ new zone run scheme that Klint Kubiak is bringing. Fuaga can dominate in the run but take control in the passing game. He did not give up a single sack in his college career.

Besides his in-game talent, Fuaga checked many boxes that the Saints value highly. At Oregon State, He was named team captain and an All-American. After college, Taliese Fuaga participated in the Senior Bowl and was arguably the most dominant player during the event. After all the testing from the NFL Combine, Fuaga achieved a 9.63 RAS score. All of these added factors, plus his pure talent on the field, are why the Saints decided to draft Taliese Fuaga.