Saints 23-Year-Old Turning Heads Before 2025 Season

The Saints could surprise people...

Aug 13, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of New Orleans Saints helmets on the bench during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs during the second half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

There are reasons to have hope specifically about the New Orleans Saints' offensive line for the 2025 season.

New Orleans has one of the top overall centers in football in Erik McCoy. The Saints drafted Kelvin Banks Jr. with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2025 National Football League Draft and he'll step into a big role immediately at left tackle. Former first-rounder Trevor Penning is moving to guard.

Another guy who fans should be excited about is 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga. He started all 17 games for the Saints last year and was solid. Now, he's entering his second season at 23 years old and is expected to bookend the offensive line with Banks.

Fuaga is getting some buzz right now and Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman mentioned him as one of six offensive linemen who are poised for a breakout in 2025.

"T Taliese Fuaga, New Orleans Saints," Wasserman said. "Speaking of 2024 first-round picks who changed positions, Fuaga adjusted reasonably well to the NFL despite playing left tackle, where he didn't log a single snap in three years at Oregon State. Fuaga’s 65.7 PFF overall grade in 2024 was a top-50 mark among qualified tackles and a top-five mark among rookie tackles. Aside from playing a new position, Fuaga also had to adjust to the rotating cast of characters on New Orleans' offensive line.

"Five players took snaps next to him at left guard, and four players lined up at center. Fuaga’s durability was one of the few constants for the Saints’ offense. New Orleans drafted a new bookend for Fuaga this season in Kelvin Banks Jr. The rookie is expected to play his natural left tackle position, allowing Fuaga to move back to right tackle. While he was steadily improving on the left side, earning a 90.0-plus PFF pass-blocking grade in two of his final four games, Fuaga should have an easy time transitioning back to the right side. During his two years as a starter at Oregon State, Fuaga was the highest-graded right tackle in the nation."

More NFL: Why Saints QB Tyler Shough Still Hasn't Signed His Contact