Taliese Fuaga

Overall 

Rated as high as the OT2 in the Top 20, Taliese Fuaga is a 6-foot-5 and three-quarters, 324-pound prospect who can succeed as a large, agile run-blocking tackle. Fuaga was recruited as a 3-star prospect out of Tacoma, Washington. After only playing special teams as a freshman, he went on to play in 3 games as a backup before becoming a starter in his junior season. That season he had a productive season earning second-team all-conference according to coaches and the AP. In 2023 he improved having his best season. He earned All-American honors from ESPN, PFF, Phil Steele, and earned second-team All-American from the AP, the AFCA, Sporting News, and the Athletic. Fuaga projects as a first-round pick. According to the Mock Draft database Fuaga is the OT2  behind Joe Alt and barely ahead of Olumuyiwa Fashanu.

ANALYSIS

 Strengths: Fuaga’s biggest strength is his combination of size and run-blocking technique, especially on zone runs. Most good zone-blocking offensive tackles are thinner and lighter on their feet, but Fuage has the quickness and technique to be as effective as those lighter tackles, at 324 pounds. He has excellent upper-body strength on run plays to push defenders out of their assignments. In pass protection, he uses that same strength to stonewall bullrushes. He is a nasty blocker who will finish his blocks with his opponent on the ground. He is a natural mover in space, he’ll be an asset on screens and stretch plays. Shows good hand placement in pass protection.

Weaknesses: The biggest concern with Fuaga is his lack of experience on true pass sets. The Beavers ran a lot and didn't run too many straight dropbacks on their pass attempts. In those pass sets, he had some trouble dealing with outside speed rushes. At 33 and 1/8 inches his arms rank in the 34th percentile of all tackles measured. This lack of length can limit his ceiling as a pass protector. If he is unable to grow in pass protection he may have to move to guard. -- PD

Frankly: Taliese Fuaga is a strong prospect who can dominate in the run game but has much to prove in pass protection. A good comp for him could be Brandon Scherff. Both players are sturdy road graders, but Scherff didn’t have the length or speed to rut it at tackle but had a lot of success at guard. I anticipate Fuaga to be taken in the middle of the first round to a team that loves running zone plays.    

HISTORY -- From College Bio

PRONOUNCED Tall-ee-s-a Foo-ah-gah
 2023 (JUNIOR)
• FWAA All-America First Team
• CBS Sports / 247Sports All-America First Team
• ESPN All-America First Team
• Pro Football Focus All-America First Team
• Phil Steele All-America First Team
• Associated Press All-America Second Team
• AFCA All-America Second Team
• Walter Camp All-America Second Team
• The Sporting News All-America Second Team
• The Athletic All-America Second Team
• USA Today All-America Second Team
• All-Pac-12 First Team
• AP All-Pac-12 First Team
• Phil Steele All-Pac-12 First Team
• Polynesian Player of the Year Finalist
• Outland Trophy Semifinalist
• Lombardi Award Semifinalist
• ESPN.com Midseason All-America First Team
• Pro Football Focus Midseason All-America First Team
• Associated Press Midseason All-America First Team
• CBS Sports Midseason All-America First Team
• 247 Sports Midseason All-America First Team
• USA Today Midseason All-America First Team
• The Athletic Midseason All-America Second Team
• Preseason All-Pac-12 First Team
• Lombardi Award Watch List
• Outland Trophy Watch List
• Polynesian Player Of The Year Watch List
• Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week (Oct. 16)
• Played in 12 games
• Part of an offensive line that helped OSU average nearly 5 yards per carry and almost 170 yards per game
• Played in 700 snaps
• Earned an 88.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, and a 90.9 mark in run blocking. PFF graded him at 80.0 in pass blocking
 
2022 (SOPHOMORE)
• PFF All-America Honorable Mention
• All-Pac-12 Second Team
• Associated Press All-Pac-12 Second Team
• PFF All-Pac-12 First Team
• Phil Steele All-Pac-12 Third Team
• Polynesian College Football Player Of The Year Watch List
• Played in and started all 13 games
• Part of an offensive line that helped pave the way for the Beavers to average 396 yards per game overall and 196.5 on the ground, which was among the league’s leaders
• Graded out at 80.8 by Pro Football Focus, including a 79.6 mark in run blocking
 
2021 (FRESHMAN)
• Saw action in 10 games
• Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll
 
2020 (FRESHMAN)
• Saw action in four games
 
MOUNT TAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL
• Letterwinner for head coach Leon Hatch
• Rated three stars by both 247Sports and Rivals
• Played in the 2020 Polynesian Bowl in Honolulu on Jan. 18. Announced to the bowl in June 2019
• Played on the defensive line in addition to the offensive line
• Named First-Team All-League on the offensive line as a senior. Earned second-team honors on the defensive line
• Earned an All-Area nomination
• Selected Second-Team All-League on the offensive line as a junior
• Tallied 40 tackles with 10.5 tackles for loss and five sacks as a senior
 
PERSONAL
• Son of Sau and Manuia Fuaga
• Has three brothers: Alapati, Austin and Manuia
• Has one sister, Ashleyanne
• Majoring in sociology
• Chose Oregon State because “it was the best fit for me and my family.”

 

 

2022

defensive
TFL	QB HUR	TOT	TD	PD	SACKS	SOLO
0.0	0.0	1.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.0