Fans usually get the most excited about drafting quarterbacks and skill position players, but building through the trenches with the offensive line is still very important.
Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga is a guy who could be an immediate contributor and have a long career in the NFL. Here is more information on one of the 2024 NFL Draft‘s best offensive line prospects.
How Tall Is Taliese Fuaga?
The tackle position is very good in this year’s draft, and Fuaga is as good as there is in the class. He has great size for the tackle position, standing at 6’6”.
That is a tremendous size for the tackle position, as 6’5” is the benchmark for some of the best tackles in the NFL such as Trent Williams, Lane Johnson, and Laremy Tunsil.
How Much Does Fuaga Weigh?
Height often tends to be the more important variable regarding the tackle position, but weight is obviously another important measurable.
There is a little more of a range when it comes to a tackle’s weight, but you have to be big and strong to hold up against the best defensive ends in the NFL. At 324 pounds, he is in the middle when it comes to the size for NFL tackles, but he is more than big enough to get the job done.
How Old Is Fuaga?
Born on April 5, 2002, in Tacoma, Wash., Fuaga is an average age for the NFL prospects in this draft at 22 years old. There are a couple of his fellow offensive-line prospects who are a little younger, but the fact he just turned 22 is something that teams will be fine with.
MORE: Top OTs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Fuaga played his high school football for Mount Tahoma High School under coach Leon Hatch, and he was named a three-star prospect entering college.
What School Did Fuaga Go To?
Fuaga was a three-star prospect who signed with Oregon State.
He wasn’t necessarily the most sought-out prospect in the class, but Oregon State did have to battle some other good teams to get Fuaga.
Schools like USC, Oregon, Hawaii, and Nevada also made an offer to Fuaga, but he chose Oregon State because “it was the best fit for him and his family.”
Revisiting Fuaga’s College Career
2022 marked Fuaga’s first year as a full-time starter at RT, and just one year after that, he ascended to first-team All-Pac-12 territory.
Fuaga was one of the main reasons Oregon State averaged nearly five yards per carry and almost 170 rushing yards per game. Pro Football Focus graded Fuaga a 88.2 overall, 90.9 in run blocking, and 80.0 in pass blocking.
Fuaga was a consensus first- or second-team All-American. He was also first-team All-Pac 12 and had as good of a season as any offensive lineman in college football.
Fuaga’s Potential in the NFL
Fuaga could absolutely be a starting offensive lineman for the next decade in the NFL.
The biggest question he is going to face heading to the next level is whether he can become a left tackle. He played right tackle at Oregon State, so there would be a transition period during his time.
While he may not have a ton of experience at left tackle, PFN draft analyst Ian Cummings says that Fuaga makes up for it with coordination, balance, athleticism, and natural leverage acquisition.
“Fuaga grades out as a blue-chip and top-10 prospect on my 2024 NFL Draft board. He rests alongside Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, and JC Latham as one of the top tackle prospects in the 2024 class,” Cummings notes.
“Fuaga’s punches have absurd knock-back power. Almost effortlessly, he can generate enough force to leave his opponent’s balance in shambles, and he’s a menacing space blocker with his power drive.
“Fuaga’s elite power and elite explosiveness serve as high-ceiling traits, but Fuaga is much more refined and much more actionable as a Day 1 NFL starter than he gets credit for.”
KEEP READING: Ian Cummings’ Full Scouting Report of Taliese Fuaga
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