Sadly, Michigan State football supporters had very little to cheer about after the 2024 NFL Draft came and went. This year, the Baltimore Ravens selected offensive lineman Nick Samac in the seventh round, the only other selection made by a Spartan.
On the other hand, there was one first-round draft selection that should thrill many Michigan State supporters in terms of what the Spartans’ offensive line may produce in the upcoming seasons.
Taliese Fuaga, an Oregon State tackle, was drafted No. 14 overall.
This past weekend, the Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 14th overall pick in the first round of the NFL draft. You might be wondering why this is significant to Michigan State supporters, and the answer is that it shows how strong Jim Michalczik, the school’s new offensive line coach, is.
The New Orleans Saints select Oregon State offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga with pick #14 in their roster.
Since 1963, the highest drafted Beaver has been developed by Michigan State offensive line coach Jim Michalczik.
Pro Football Focus rated Fuaga as the top run blocker in the country with a 90.7 rating. He led tweet.com/2G0SjZQ5nl
— @Kenny_Jordan5 on Twitter 26 April 2024
This offseason, Jim Michalczik moved to East Lansing to take over as Michigan State’s offensive line coach, replacing Jonathan Smith. Fuaga spent his whole Oregon State career working with Michalczik, who helped him become one of the top picks in this year’s draft.
This was a significant accomplishment for Michalczik because Oregon State isn’t typically associated with successful NFL players. Actually, since 1963, Fuaga is the highest draft choice selected by Oregon State. Not only is that the case, but in his high school recruiting class, Fuaga was ranked as the No. 1,544 player. Fuaga was a fringe Power Five player that Michalczik was able to develop into one of the top players in the draft, so this isn’t a situation where Michalczik landed an elite recruit who was bound for the NFL no matter what.
Just thinking about what Michalczik could bring to Michigan State as the offensive line coach has to thrill Spartan fans everywhere. Although there aren’t many examples of a low-ranked recruit being selected highly in the draft, Michalczik has already shown that he is capable of doing so. What prevents him from doing the same thing at Michigan State?
The offensive line for Michigan State hasn’t been strong in a while. However, this is encouraging that things might be about to change.
Coaching Tali was a blessing. Outstanding worker who is astute and driven. Louisiana… You’ve got a terrific one! The URL is t.co/KXWAFHb6mi.
— @FBCoachM Jim Michalczik 26 April 2024
We all know that games are won and lost in the trenches, so if MSU can continue to see progress along their offensive line, I predict that East Lansing will see a significant increase in wins very soon.
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