We are excited about our draft coverage here at FFSN this year, as we are adding something new to the fold. Between now and the NFL Draft, I will be writing individual player profiles on many of this year’s top prospects. Today, we continue the series with Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga.

Each of these breakdowns will include a brief background on the player, an in-depth scouting report, and a projection as to where he is likely to be selected in the NFL Draft. All of these articles can be found on our main FFSN NFL feed. Be sure to share these breakdowns with your fellow draft buddies on social media!

Bio and Profile

Height: 6’6″
Weight: 324 lbs

A 2023 finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year, Fuaga came to Oregon State having experience at both offensive and defensive line. However, despite putting up solid production on the defensive side of the ball, he moved to full-time offensive line for the Beavers, and his development simply took off. This past season, Fuaga was also voted second-team All-American by the Associated Press, while also being selected first-team All-Pac-12. He now heads into the draft as one of the best right tackle prospects in the class.

Scouting Report

Fuaga is one of my favorite prospects in this draft, as he shows no fear of anything. Figuratively speaking, he hits defenders in the mouth, and they feel it for days to come. One of the nastiest blockers in this draft, Fuaga uses his exceptional core strength to push defenders off the ball in the run game on a regular basis, and his sound instincts and awareness assist him in picking up delayed blitzes and stunts that come from the inside to the outside.

There are three main reasons why he will likely be taken outside the top ten selections: 1) His arm length isn’t elite, 2) His feet can be the slightest bit slow coming out of his stance, and 3) He is almost exclusively a right tackle. While I believe he is a good enough athlete to play on the left side, his physical traits and play style fit better on the right side. Moving to the left side would also make more prevalent the concerns about arm length and foot quickness, which are very minor concerns when profiling him as a right tackle. I see him as a prospect almost to the level of Darnell Wright, who was my highest-rated tackle in last year’s class.

Draft Projection

I would be shocked if Fuaga does not go between Pick 10 and Pick 20. The Jets would be the ceiling, and if he somehow fell to the Steelers at 20, I would certainly hope they do not pass on the opportunity. The unknown in all of this is the order in which teams picking in that range have these tackles rated. For me personally, he is my number two tackle and number one right tackle in this class, but if teams in that range prefer guys like J.C. Latham, Olu Fashanu, or Amarius Mims, it is possible Fuaga slides further than expected.