Taliese Fuaga (OT) – Oregon State / Senior
6’5-3/4”, 324 Lbs. (Combine)
2023 Stats: 12 games, 12 pressures allowed, 2 hits allowed, 0 sacks allowed
{Reference: https://jetsxfactor.com/2024/01/28/ny-jets-draft-scouting-report-taliese-fuaga-oregon-state/}
Awards/Leader:
Measurables (Combine):
| Hand | Arm | Wing |
| 10-1/8″ | 33-1/8″ | 80-5/8″ |
| 40-Dash | 10-Split | Vertical | Broad | 3-Cone | 20-Shuttle | Bench |
| 5.13 sec | 1.77 sec | 32″ | 9’3″ | *** | *** | *** |
RAS: 9.44
Games Watched: 2022 vs. Florida (Las Vegas Bowl); 2023 vs. Washington; 2023 vs. Oregon
PRO’S
Excellent, advanced, well-rounded OT who is very good in pass protection and even better in run blocking. Big guy even for an OT, with really nice explosiveness at the snap. In the run game, Fuaga gets to the second level and in a hurry with his speed and athleticism. Seemingly built for the zone run scheme (hello 49ers! although I doubt he drops to them), he’s very active in looking for someone to block, plays hard and to the whistle. Fuaga keeps his pads level and knees bent providing excellent ability to consistently maintain leverage in pass protection and you’ll always see his head on a swivel until he’s engaged. Use his strength, leverage, smooth foot movement, anchor, punch, and hand strength to redirect pass rushers or stall them long enough for the QB to complete his pass.
CON’S
Taliese worked exclusively at RT at Oregon State, so he may be pegged there at the NFL. Normally, LT’s make the switch to RT if need be. I think Taliese has all the tools to play LT, but he just hasn’t been asked to do so just yet. Either way, he should at least be a day-1 starter at RT in the NFL. Like I said earlier, he’s big even for an OT at 6’6″, but his arm (33-3/8″) and wingspan (81.5″) are around average. Gets caught lunging sometimes. Regardless of refinement, quick reaction at the snap, footwork and athleticism, he sometimes gets a hard time by speedy pass rushers with nice bend.
OVERALL
25 straight starts at RT (13 in ’22 and 12 in ’23) is non-injury history I need to see for potential 1st round picks, which Fuaga certainly is. The only two OTs I have ahead of Fuaga are Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu, and I have him on par with Amarius Mims (Georgia) and ahead of JC Latham (Alabama). I think all are 1st round worthy. I feel that the FBS competition that Fuaga saw at Oregon State was not as consistent of a test that the other four mentioned above experienced, but I just love his overall profile, traits and refinement enough to put him ahead of at least Latham (and possibly even Mims). His floor is a day-1 starter at RT in the NFL, with starting LT upside.
* hat tip to JetsFactor.com (see link above in the reference section). It is not easy finding stats for offensive linemen and that site was where I was able to find some on Fuaga. I don’t want to pull stats from another site’s draft profiles, but I couldn’t avoid it in this case and just want to give them proper credit. However, my opinions and write-up on Taliese Fuaga are based on my own research.
Completed by: Joe Knows (@JoeJ_Clark), 02/29/24
Updated: 03/04/24
