Taliese Fuaga (born April 5, 2002) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, receiving All-American honors in 2023. Fuaga was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft.

Taliese Fuaga
Fuaga in 2025
No. 75  New Orleans Saints
PositionOffensive tackle
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (2002-04-05) April 5, 2002 (age 24)
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight324 lb (147 kg)
Career information
High schoolMount Tahoma (Tacoma)
CollegeOregon State (2020–2023)
NFL draft2024: 1st round, 14th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Games played30
Games started30
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Fuaga attended Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, Washington.[1] He played offensive and defensive line in high school. He was selected to play in the 2020 Polynesian Bowl.[2] Fuaga committed to Oregon State University to play college football, turning down similar offers from Oregon, USC, Hawaii, and Nevada.[3][4]

College career

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Fuaga played in 14 games as a backup his first years at Oregon State in 2020 and 2021. He started all 13 games in 2022 and returned as a starter in 2023, where he was named a first-team All-American.[5][6]

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard splitVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 5+34 in
(1.97 m)
324 lb
(147 kg)
33+18 in
(0.84 m)
10+18 in
(0.26 m)
5.13 s1.77 s2.98 s32.0 in
(0.81 m)
9 ft 3 in
(2.82 m)
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Fuaga was selected by the New Orleans Saints in the first round with the 14th overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft.[9] He started in all 17 games as a rookie.[10]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
No type penalty
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Offense
GP GS Snaps Pct Holding False Start Decl/Pen Acpt/Pen
2024 NO 17 17 1,071 98% 2 4 0 11
2025 NO 13 13 814 96% 2 3 2 6
Career 30 30 1,885 - 4 7 2 17

References

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  1. Manley, Jon (September 20, 2019). "The wins haven't come, but Mount Tahoma lineman Fuaga hasn't wavered in loyalty". The News Tribune. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  2. Huffman, Brandon (June 25, 2019). "Polynesian Bowl announces Taliese Fuaga as selection". 247Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  3. Slaughter, Brenden (December 9, 2019). "BeaversEdge - BREAKING: 2020 Tacoma OT Taliese Fuaga commits to Oregon State". Rivals.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  4. Milles, Todd (September 3, 2023). "Loyal and humble, Taliese Fuaga leaves Mount Tahoma High School for another rebuilding effort - Oregon State University". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023.
  5. Daschel, Nick (October 25, 2023). "Will Taliese Fuaga become Oregon State's first NFL 1st-round draft pick as an offensive lineman?". OregonLive.com. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  6. "Taliese Fuaga, Tanner Miller Earn ESPN All-America Honors". BeaversEdge.com. Rivals.com. December 17, 2023. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
  7. Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Taliese Fuaga Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  8. "2024 NFL Draft Scout Taliese Fuaga College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  9. Williams, Charean (April 26, 2024). "Saints draft Oregon State OT Taliese Fuaga at 14th overall". NBC Sports. Retrieved May 19, 2024.
  10. "Taliese Fuaga 2024 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
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