Today marks 75 days before the 2025 regular season opener for the New Orleans Saints. The Saints will open their year at home against the Arizona Cardinals. It will be the 59th NFL season for the Saints, but their first under new head coach Kellen Moore after a 5-12 finish last year. Offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga wears No. 75 for the Saints as he enters his second year with New Orleans. One of the team’s rising young stars, Fuaga is also our Saints Player of the Day. Here’s a closer look at his background.
- Name (age): Taliese Fuaga (23)
- Hometown: Tacoma, Wash.
- Position: Offensive tackle
- Height, weight: 6-foot-6, 324 pounds
- College: Oregon State Beavers
- Relative Athletic Score: 9.71
- Drafted: Round 1, 14th overall in 2024 (New Orleans Saints)
- NFL experience: 1 year
- 2025 salary cap hit: $3,942,763
From Mount Tacoma High School in Washington, Fuaga stayed near the northwest coast by attending Oregon State. He’d play sparingly his first two years, appearing in 14 games as a backup lineman. By 2022, Fuaga had won the starting right tackle job and earned 2nd Team All-Pac-12 recognition with his play. Fuaga stayed at right tackle in 2024 and was one of the nation’s most dominant linemen. He’d finish his career with the Beavers with first-team recognition on both the All-Pac-12 and All-American honors.
In desperate need of a tackle heading into the 2024 NFL draft, the Saints selected Fuaga with the 14th overall pick. He was the fourth tackle chosen in the draft and one of eight tackles that came off the board in the first round. Fuaga was installed as an instant starter on the offensive line. After playing his college career at right tackle, however, he was asked to make the switch to the left tackle position.
Fuaga embraced the change and showed standout play instantly. He was one of the few bright spots on the New Orleans offense, exhibiting All-Pro potential as both a run blocker and in pass protection. Fuaga started all 17 games at left tackle, playing 98% of the offensive snaps. His 1,134 total snaps trailed only Trevor Penning (1,146) and Alontae Taylor (1,185) on the entire team.
Taliese Fuaga is being asked to switch positions again in 2025. New Orleans used their first round choice this year on another lineman, Texas Longhorns left tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. As a result, Fuaga is making the change back to his college position of right tackle. Wherever he is on the line, Fuaga will be one of the key factors to New Orleans offensive success this year. He’s one of the young building blocks that the Saints are rebuilding their core around. If Banks has anywhere near the success that Fuaga did as a rookie, then New Orleans has themselves an outstanding tackle duo set for their future.
