It is not uncommon for the New Orleans Saints to change the position of a draft pick. They’ve yet to fully commit to this tactic, but it feels like they’re leaning this way with Taliese Fuaga. When he lined up at left tackle during rookie minicamps, it was brushed off as just getting a look. Now that Trevor Penning has also flipped sides at OTAs, this feels like a vision.
The Saints have a history of this with first-round offensive linemen. Andrus Peat, Ryan Ramczyk, and Cesar Ruiz each played unexpected positions as rookies. The question is, what happens if Fuaga doesn’t look good at left tackle?
That question breaks into two parts. First off, does Fuaga then compete with Penning at right tackle? Secondly, who is your left tackle in this case? The Saints aren’t covered if this move doesn’t work. If Penning was always supposed to move to right tackle, it doesn’t sound like there’s faith he can play at left tackle moving forward. You drafted Fuaga first round due to his film showcasing a cornerstone right tackle.
It’s early in the offseason, and nothing is concrete. Fuaga being a natural right tackle makes you wonder how long will they give him to get acclimated before putting him in his natural position. As training camp rolls around, the transformation of the starting offensive line will be one to watch.
The best case scenario now feels like Fuaga performs well at left tackle and Penning shows more potential after a position change. It’s definitely a gamble, but right now Fuaga and Penning appear to be your best two options at tackle. New Orleans just has to decide who plays where.
