Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief attended the Oregon State pro day to watch OT Taliese Fuaga

The Broncos had their offensive line coach in attendance to watch one of the top tackles in the draft.

According to Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the Denver Broncos were among the six teams who had their offensive line coach present at the Oregon State pro day. Broncos offensive line coach Zach Strief was present to watch Taliese Fuaga, one of the top tackles in the draft, participate in the event.

Fuaga is a 6’6, 324-pound tackle who is considered one of the top tackles and players in the draft and is expected to be a first-round pick. During the NFL Scouting Combine, he had a 5.13 40-time, a 1.77 10-yard split, and a 32-inch vertical jump.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has Fuaga ranked as his 9th overall prospect in the draft and is his top tackle in this loaded class. Jeremiah states that Fuaga has Pro Bowl potential at either the left or right tackle position and potentially even at guard if he is asked to slide inside.

Fuaga has outstanding size, power and balance for the position. He lines up at right tackle, but I believe he could play on the left side if necessary. In pass pro, he has quick feet out of his stance and is explosive with his punch. He stuns rushers, stays attached and is always on balance. He is aware versus games and blitzers. In the run game, he is dominant. He uncoils out of his stance to strike and remove defenders over his nose. He creates movement on down blocks and always looks to finish. He is surprisingly nimble to reach and cut off on the back side. He takes good angles working up to the second level and made several de-cleating blocks against linebackers in the games I studied. Overall, I don’t see much weakness in Fuaga’s game. He has Pro Bowl potential at tackle — and if needed, could slide inside and play guard.

This is interesting because the Broncos have a pending decision to make on left tackle Garett Bolles. He is entering the final year of his deal and would free up $16 million dollars in cap space if released. He has been a restructure/extension candidate, but nothing has happened as of yet. Now, the team is sending their offensive line coach to look at one of the top tackles in the draft is noteworthy. If Bolles will not budge on a restructure he could be traded or released and then left tackles becomes a big need for the Broncos.

Quarterback is widely viewed as the way they go in the first round but if they miss out on one of the four quarterbacks, they could shift their focus to the trenches and get a player like Fuaga. In New Orleans, Sean Payton used multiple premium picks on offensive linemen and could do that this year to build up that unit moving forward.

If Bolles does come back, I do not think tackle is a round-one option for the team, but if something were to happen, Fuaga and the rest of the top tackles in this class become legit options for the Broncos in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.