The New Orleans Saints had some success with their first round pick Taliese Fuaga last season, but would they still go with him if given another chance today?
That’s the hypothetical that Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport looked at in his recent re-do of the 2024 NFL draft. For the Saints, they now decided to go with Olu Fashanu out of the Penn State Nittany Lions.
Here is what Davenport had to say about the pick:
Fashanu didn’t play as much as some of the other Round 1 tackles after being drafted 11th overall by the Jets. But in 534 snaps per Pro Football Focus, Fashanu surrendered just a single sack.
Fashanu was originally off the board, but the New York Jets now selected J.J. McCarthy this time around. While Fashanu was certainly a more highly-touted prospect than Fuaga at the time, there is an argument to be made that it would be the other way around right now. Fuaga fell to the No. 18 pick (Cincinnati Bengals) in this do-over.
For someone that didn’t play the position in college, Fuaga did a nice job at left tackle for New Orleans. It wasn’t perfect, but there was plenty to like about his performance. He allowed two or less pressures in 11 games, flashing some real talent at times. It’s not that Fashanu was bad, it’s just that there is no reason for the Saints to be unhappy with their original selection.
