Shout to Taliese Fuaga -- the New Orleans Saints left tackle was named the best rookie at his position by ESPN. Ben Solak shared his 2024 NFL All-Rookie team, and Fuaga won top honors on the first team.
Its's even more impressive when you remember that Fuaga didn't play on the left side in college. He moved from right tackle to left after turning pro and proved to be the team's best option at that spot. Here's how his rookie season stacked up against his peers:
There was plenty of debate about who the Saints should have picked at No. 14 last spring before they took Fuaga; Latham and Fashanu were popular in mock drafts, too, but ultimately neither of them made it to New Orleans' pick. It turns out the Saints did well to get Fuaga where they did.
Fuaga was the only rookie to clinch a spot on the All-Rookie team ahead of his peers is tremendous. We'll see whether he stays at left tackle in 2025 or moves back to the right side (or inside to guard, depending on how the Saints move in this year's draft) but he's clearly someone they should have on the field for every offensive snap. This is exactly the kind of pick the team must hit on to rebuild their roster.
