We’re about a week away from the 2024 NFL draft, which means some of the draft’s most accurate forecasters are finally comfortable sharing what they’ve heard. One analyst to watch closely is NFL.com’s Peter Schrager, who has a lot of sources around the league and generally has a strong pulse for how teams are wanting to move in the draft.
But Schrager’s pick for the New Orleans Saints in his first mock draft is hardly unique. He went with Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga as an ideal replacement for Ryan Ramczyk. We’ll let him explain:
Fuaga is a tackle, but could play anywhere on the offensive line if needed. This one might be met with shrugs in New Orleans, but I can see this as a franchise-cornerstone selection by the Saints’ brass. The Oregon State product has a mean streak and a motor that doesn’t quit.
Fuaga has drawn comparisons to Ramczyk himself, so it’s easy to see why the Saints could value him so highly. Depending on who you ask, Fuaga could be the second-best offensive lineman in the entire draft after top-10 lock Joe Alt. He has plenty of starting experience in the same style of outside zone run blocking that Klint Kubiak is planning to run in New Orleans. Given Ramczyk’s bleak health outlook, Fuaga would be a Day 1 starter in New Orleans. That he could move inside to guard in a pinch makes him more valuable, but he should be seen as a tackle first.
So will the Saints draft him? Would they pick Fuaga over other tackles still on the board like JC Latham, Tyler Guyton, and Amarius Mims? Maybe. Fuaga is a strong scheme fit than any of them even if others line up closer with the NFL’s athletic prototype for the position. At this point it feels like any position but offensive tackle would be a shock for New Orleans in the first round. But that uncertainty remains, and it’s why the draft is such a big draw each year.
