Oregon

2024 NFL Draft prospect profile: Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State

Published

2 years ago

April 24, 2024

Who’s the top offensive tackle in the 2024 NFL Draft?

One name you’ll hear mentioned as being among the top tackles is Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga. But could he wind up being the best tackle to come out of this draft class?

Fuaga doesn’t have the athletic upside of some of the other tackle prospects, however he’s a confident and sound technician who does just about everything well. He also plays with a mauler’s mentality while rarely putting himself in bad positions. Fuaga’s position as a right tackle and less-than-athletic physique have him flying under the radar a bit, but that could all change on Sundays.

Could he be on the New York Giants radar if they’re ready to move on from Evan Neal?

Prospect: Taliese Fuaga (75)
Games Watched: vs. Utah (2023), vs. UCLA (2023), vs. Oregon (2023), vs. Washington (2023)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte (@mathbomb) | RAS.football

Strengths

Technique
Leverage
Athleticism
Play strength
Competitive toughness

Fuaga is a good-sized, athletic, technically sound, and competitive offensive tackle.

Fuaga doesn’t quite have prototypical size for the position at 6-foot 5 ¾ inches, with 33 ⅛-inch arms, but has good bulk at 324 pounds. He doesn’t have the “oversized tight end” build sported by many tackles to come out in recent years and has a definite “power belly”, however Fuaga’s frame belies surprising athleticism. He has quick, light feet that allow him to kick-slide smoothly while also easily redirect back inside. Likewise, Fuaga is quick out of his stance, able to climb to the second level or get out in space to block. He has plenty of agility mirror speed off the edge, as well as the footwork to anchor against power rushers.

Fuaga is a reliable pass protector and has played 1,509 snaps in 25 games at right tackle over the last two years, yet has allowed just five hits and no sacks. He pairs very good hand technique with his feet, consistently using a hard, accurate punch and strong grip to control defenders.

He’s a mauler in the run game and is able to execute man and zone concepts. He does a good job of playing with leverage and is able to generate movement at the line of scrimmage. His athleticism allows him to block accurately in space and Fuaga seems to relish opportunities to deliver hits to defenders.

Weaknesses

It’s difficult to pick out real weaknesses with Fuaga. Frankly, he’s technically proficient and does pretty much everything well.

If we’re going to point out aspects of Fuaga’s profile that aren’t strengths, the most obvious is his relative lack of length. Fuaga’s arms are “only” 33 ⅛-inches long, which is about one inch shorter than average for NFL tackles. That didn’t really limit him on tape in college, though teams with firm thresholds for player measurables could prefer tackle prospects with longer frames.

Fuaga also doesn’t quite have truly “elite” athleticism. Again, that doesn’t really hamper him on tape, but teams could prefer prospects with higher athletic ceilings.

Game Tape

(Fuaga is Oregon State RT number 75)

Projection

Fuaga projects as a starting offensive tackle at the NFL level and should be able to win a starting job on most offensive lines as a rookie.

Fuaga should be able to play left or right tackle as a pro, however teams might be better off just leaving him at right tackle and letting him continue to develop at the more familiar position. Fuaga isn’t as exciting as some of the other tackle prospects in this draft class. He’s a bit on the short side and his physique carries some “sloppy” weight. He also doesn’t quite have the sky high ceiling that comes with freak athleticism.

However, he’s already technically polished and has a very high floor – while also having a ceiling that’s quite high as well. Fuaga is the type of player that a team can draft, plug into their line, and then not worry about that position for a decade. He might never be the best at his position, but there’s a very real possibility that he winds up being the best offensive lineman to come out of this draft.

Does he fit the Giants?
Yes.

Final Word: A high first-round value

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Oregon

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Published

6 hours ago

January 12, 2026

Press Room

Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

Auburn’s quarterback room gained another piece out of the transfer portal on Sunday, and is now up to four scholarship players.

The latest signee is Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti’a, a source confirmed to AL.com. He comes to Auburn after spending one season with the Beavers, and will likely fill the backup quarterback role at Auburn behind Byrum Brown.

Ti’a was a backup during his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in three games. In that time, he completed 37 of his 53 passes for 385 yards with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’s the third and likely final transfer quarterback to sign with Auburn since the portal opened on Jan. 2, joining Brown and former USF third-string quarterback Locklan Hewlett. Incoming freshman Rhys Brush will also be in the quarterback room next season.

With Ti’a signing, Auburn is now up to 22 incoming transfers. The portal will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.

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Oregon

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Published

18 hours ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

Oregon is losing a second edge defender to transfer.

Blake Purchase will enter the transfer portal, he announced via X. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

“I want to start by thanking God for this journey and everything that has come with it,” Purchase told DenverSportsMedia.com. “Thank you to my family for the continued love and support they have given me. I’m forever grateful for these past three seasons at the University of Oregon. The lessons l’ve learned here will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you to all the coaches who poured into me and helped me grow as both a person and a player. And to my teammates – the bonds we built are forever. You are my brothers for life.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Purchase had 32 tackles (4.5 for loss) with two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup this season. His 352 snaps on defense ranked 14th for UO this season.

Purchase had two tackles while redshirting last season and five tackles as a true freshman in 2023.

A four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek (Colorado) High School, Purchase was the No. 294 overall prospect and No. 34 edge defender in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.

Purchase will be the sixteenth scholarship player to transfer from UO this offseason, joining defensive backs Jahlil Florence, Dakoda Fields, Solomon Davis, Sione Laulea, Kingston Lopa and Daylen Austin, receivers Justius Lowe and Kyler Kasper, quarterbacks Austin Novosad and Luke Moga, offensive lineman Lipe Moala and running backs Jay Harris, Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar. Oregon has 79 projected scholarship players in 2026.

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Oregon

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Published

1 day ago

January 11, 2026

Press Room

Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

Despite a strong start and competitive effort for much of the night, Oregon State men’s basketball fell apart down the stretch of a 82-76 loss to University of Portland on Saturday night at Chiles Center.

A corner three-pointer by Mikah Ballew buried the Beavers (9-10, 2-4 WCC), putting Portland up 78-70 with just 1:10 remaining.

The Pilots (9-10, 2-4 WCC) had four players in double figures: Cameron Williams with 23, Jermaine Webb Balsinger and Joel Foxwell with 18 apiece, and Ballew with 16.

The Beavers were led by Olavi Suutela with 19 points and Johan Munch with 14. Dez White, Josiah Lake II and Yaak Yaak each had 10, and OSU out-shot the Pilots — 47% to 43% — but untimely turnovers and missed shots hurt them in the second half.

OSU came out hot, taking a 18-8 lead early in the first half including 12 points from Suutela. It got up to 24-15 before the Pilots mounted a response.

Turnovers and miscommunication by the Beavers on offense led to a 8-0 run by Portland. OSU clung to its lead for a while, but Portland took its first at 31-30 late in the first half.

The Pilots carried a 39-38 lead into the break.

Coming out of the half, after some back and forth, the Beavers went on an 11-1 run — fueled by the scoring and defensive effort of Suutela, and inside play of Noah Amenhauser — to take a 54-45 advantage at the 13:11 mark.

Turnovers reared their ugly head once again for the Beavers, though, and a pair of jumpers by Joel Foxwell cut the OSU lead down to 56-53.

Portland retook the lead, 57-56, with 10 minutes remaining. With an increased energy on both ends of the floor and OSU missing open shots, the Pilots led 66-63 with six minutes remaining and never relinquished it.

Portland’s defense smothered OSU in the halfcourt, and Wayne Tinkle’s side couldn’t find an easy basket, settling often for one-on-one opportunities rather than consistent and meaningful ball movement. Portland led, 71-68, with 3:19 to go.

Trailing by nine, Lake II hit a three-pointer to cut it to six with five seconds left. Too little, too late for the Beavers as they slipped back below .500.

Next game: Oregon State (9-10, 2-4 WCC) vs. LMU (11-7, 2-3 WCC)