Unfortunately for the Pittsburgh Steelers, following their loss to the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs, it’s time for their focus to turn to the offseason.
While the Steelers have many strong pieces to stay competitive in 2024 and beyond, there’s no doubt that there are quite a few areas of need to target in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Josh Edwards of CBS Sports recently shared his thoughts on each team that lost in Round One of the playoffs and who they should target in the draft. He has the Steelers’ ideal target as Taliese Fuaga, an offensive tackle from Oregon State.
“Pittsburgh has played Broderick Jones at right tackle after he played left tackle for Georgia.” Edwards wrote. “Both tackle spots have been a point of weakness, but it was overshadowed by the inefficiencies at quarterback and with play calling. Jones can move back to his original role as Fuaga steps in at right tackle. The Steelers have made it a point of emphasis to upgrade the offensive line over the past three seasons, and that continues here. The team can lean on its run game while it sorts out the dilemma under center.”
When looking at Fuaga as a prospect, his path to making an impact at the next level is simple. Checking in at 6-6 and 334 pounds, he has an NFL-ready frame and would instantly be the biggest body on the Steelers roster.
Even with his impressive build, the thing that pops off the page the most with Fuaga is his athleticism. Relative to other offensive tackles, he is a plus-athlete, and for his size, he is simply an outstanding athlete. He also has showcased an elite motor, something that would be very welcome on a Steelers offense that looked dead at times this season.
Fuaga stands out in the run game, where his unique blend of size and quickness allows him to get to the second level. Oregon State had one of the better rushing attacks in the country this year, and Fuaga was a big reason why. Part of the appeal of Fuaga as a prospect is that you can run a variety of offensive schemes with him. There’s no notable weakness in any aspect of his game, and he doesn’t limit you from things like zone-concept runs due to his ability to thrive in space.
The biggest knock on Fuaga — and one of the reasons he ranks behind guys like Joe Alt and Olu Fashanu on most NFL draft boards — is that he has zero college experience at left tackle. He didn’t take a single snap at left tackle over four seasons at Oregon State, exclusively playing right tackle for the Beavers. Left tackle is traditionally a more valued position than right tackle for most teams.
However, the Steelers were in a bit of a unique situation this year as they had to play Broderick Jones at right tackle, which is not his natural position. Drafting Fuaga would allow Jones to slide back to his natural left tackle while Fuaga would likely take over right tackle duties from Day One.
CBS Sports ranks Fuaga as the 17th overall prospect in the draft, although I’ve seen him sneak into the top 10 elsewhere. While there’s potential for him to slip in large part due to the lack of left tackle experience, there’s also a chance that the Steelers would try to trade up a few picks to grab a prospect of his caliber.
