It’s safe to say the New Orleans Saints are happy with their 2024 first-round pick. Selecting offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga with the 14th-overall pick, it seems like the Saints have found themselves a franchise left tackle, and that’s important to do to compete in the NFL. Fuaga started his entire rookie season at left tackle, and was especially impressive in the run game, while also being a good pass protector.
If you gave the Saints or their fans the opportunity to redo the 2024 Draft, they’d, more than likely, select Fuaga again. Gary Davenport of Bleacher Report doesn’t see it that way, though. In a recent piece, re-drafting the first round of the 2024 Draft, Davenport had New Orleans selecting a different prospect, even with Fuaga still available.
The Saints stuck with a left tackle, but this time they selected Olu Fashanu out of Penn State.
Saints select Olu Fashanu in Bleacher Report’s 2024 re-draft
In the actual 2024 Draft, Fashanu was selected by the New York Giants with the 11th-overall pick, so he wasn’t even on the board for New Orleans. However, with the various changes in this re-draft, both Fashanu and Fuaga were available, but Davenport gives the nod to Fashanu.
Davenport admits that New Orleans drafting Fuaga again makes a ton of sense, because he addressed a need and shined as a rookie. However, since Fashanu also played well, starting just seven games, he was the selection because he was considered a better prospect when both were coming out, and Fuaga hasn’t separated in a fashion that would make their order switch.
That’s a fair explanation, but ultimately, Taliese Fuaga is the prospect the Saints ended up with. There won’t be any re-draft in real life, and that’s ok with New Orleans, because it made the right pick the first time, and there are many years of dominance ahead for Fuaga.