The New York Giants selected Miami offensive tackle Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.
Mauigoa was a consensus All-American and first-team All-SEC selection last year and started 42 consecutive games at tackle for the Hurricanes.
The 21-year-old, 6-foot-5, 330-pound Mauigoa will not begin his Giants career at tackle, however. The Giants are planning to play Sisi at right guard between veteran tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and center John Michael Schmitz.
“We’re going to put him inside at guard,” general manager Joe Schoen said on draft night. “He can certainly play tackle. Sometimes we call these schools and get the film, and they have two really good rushers down there in Miami in (Ahkeem) Mesidor and (Rueben) Bain, and to watch the practice film — he’s going against NFL dudes on a daily basis, and doing a really good job, it was pretty impressive. He can certainly always bump back out to tackle at any point. We’re going to start him at guard.”
The Giants are counting on Mauigoa to add much-needed physicality and toughness to the offensive line. So far, he’s been marking his territory fairly often.
“Sisi is a really hard-working guy. He’s a physical guy. I think the sky’s the limit for him,” Eluemunor said of the rookie. “He doesn’t take any BS from anyone.”
Taking a player in the Top 10 in the draft and changing their position is risky business in the NFL. The Giants aren’t concerned, and neither is former NFL offensive lineman-turned-analyst Brian Baldinger.
“The way that he plays, it really looks like he could be a great guard,” Baldinger said in a recent analysis. “He just likes to take guys and put them into the ground. Finish guys. That’s his strength. He’s got real power.”
Baldinger also noted that Mauigoa should fare well at guard due to his athleticism as well. He’s bringing tackle traits to the interior of the Giants’ line.
“I don’t have that much space to work with. Playing at tackle, you have all the space, where a guard, everything happens so fast. It’s not something I really need to work on; it’s something that I need to get used to,” Mauigoa said this spring at the team’s OTAs.
“I know a lot over there with (Univ. of Miami offensive line coach) Coach (Alex) Mirabal teaching us jump set and everything, some stuff will work on the NFL level and some won’t. It’s a lot of tools in the belt.”
And the Giants are hoping he catches up quickly and eventually becomes a top player for them.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Brian Baldinger: New York Giants’ Francis Mauigoa ‘could be a great guard’
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By John Fennelly, Giants Wire | USA TODAY Network
