In the NFL Draft on Thursday night, offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga of the New Orleans Saints was selected with the 14th overall choice. The pick came one pick after the Las Vegas Raiders selected Georgia tight end Brock Bowers in the draft.
After the first round of the draft, New Orleans coach Dennis Allen stated, “I’m not going to get into exactly how the board was, but, yeah, Brock Bowers was a consideration for us.” “And there was definitely some discussion going on because he made it all the way to pick 13.”
It is reasonable to wonder why the Saints would ever select a tight end in the first round when they are desperately short-staffed at offensive tackle. Bowers is undoubtedly one of the select few players who could have overcome the team’s overwhelming need for a tackle. He’s obviously a terrific prospect, and the Saints would have been a good fit for him.
Not to mention, Allen stated during the NFL Owners Meeting, “I absolutely think that’s an area we’re going to continue to look at, in terms of a pass-catcher—not necessarily a wide receiver, but a pass-catcher.”
Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network likened him to George Kittle during the pre-draft phase. Ironically, former San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak is the newest offensive coordinator for the Saints.
The fact that New Orleans is in such dire need of offensive line assistance makes the draft selection seem a little odd. But a unique skill like that doesn’t come to teams at number fourteen, and it seems like the Saints could have been willing to take a gamble.
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