By Ross Jackson
NEW ORLEANS — Any time a team selects a player in the first round of the NFL Draft, expectations are sky-high. One player that has thus far exceeded those expectations is New Orleans Saints left tackle Taliese Fuaga.
The former Oregon State Beaver didn’t even play on the left side during his collegiate days. He was a right tackle throughout both of his seasons. Upon arriving in the NFL, the Saints tasked him with switching sides and protecting the blindside of quarterback Derek Carr.
The peak of his performance came in the team’s Week 11 victory over the Cleveland Browns.
Fuaga drew a tough matchup having to go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best pass rushers in Brown defensive end Myles Garrett. While Fuaga did get help on more than a few occasions from a tight end or guard, he had more than 10 one-on-one matchups with Garrett and did not surrender a pressure during those reps.
In fact, Garrett posted season lows in both pressures (2) and pressure percentage (8%) against the Saints, with a majority of his pass rushing snaps coming from Fuaga’s side.
The tackle also performed very well as a run blocker, which has been a season-long reality.
Fuaga has been a revelation for New Orleans at left tackle. The teams had struggled to replace former starter Terron Armstead since his departure. But so far, Fuaga looks the part and has put up performances worthy of Pro Bowl and potentially even All-Pro consideration in coming years as he continues to develop.
