{"id":856692,"date":"2026-04-06T10:31:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T10:31:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856692\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T10:31:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T10:31:52","slug":"2026-nfl-draft-francis-mauigoa-could-be-new-york-giants-solution-at-rg","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/856692\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 NFL draft: Francis Mauigoa could be New York Giants’ solution at RG"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New York Giants<\/a> enter the 2026 NFL draft with a glaring need at right guard.<\/p>\n

After missing out on top free-agent options, the team has yet to bolster the position, leaving unrestricted free agent Greg Van Roten as an underwhelming potential placeholder despite his recent contributions.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa stands out as a strong candidate to address that void. The 6-foot-5, 328-pound junior emerged as a reliable three-year starter at right tackle for the Hurricanes. He brings a powerful, dense frame ideal for dominating in the run game, paired with solid balance, bend, and positioning in pass protection.<\/p>\n

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New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys: Best photos from Week 18<\/p>\n

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New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions: Best photos from Week 12\"\"<\/p>\n

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An NFL scout offered a clear assessment, suggesting Mauigoa move to guard at the NFL level.<\/p>\n

“He’s either a right tackle or a guard. Big power player. I see him more as a guard. He definitely can be a starting tackle, but he’s a Pro Bowl guard. He just doesn’t have quite the agility outside on the NFL level. I’d take him over (Penn State\u2019s Vega) Ioane as a guard,” the scout told Go Long TD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

“I liked Will Campbell, but I’d have to say this guy\u2019s better than Will Campbell,” another scout said. “He’s not that (Hall of Famer Willie Roaf), but he’ll be an All-Pro type. He looks like a guard, but he moves like a tackle. He’s got feel, balance, and he can bend. He positions guys really well. He’s an instant starter.”<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Olaivavega Ioane is widely considered the top available guard by NFL draft analysts, but some of the scouts disagree.<\/p>\n

“He’s a mauler in the run game, but he’s a limited athlete,” a scout told Go Long TD. “When he gets out and pulls, he’s heavy-legged. I don’t see it. I think he’s overrated. What does he do best? Well, he’s powerful. He’s a pretty good run blocker, but he’s not a great pass protector. He is against power, but he lacks quickness. He lumbers in space a little bit. Now, if he\u2019s running in a straight line and in (space), he’s gonna maul you. I just think he lacks top athletic ability.”<\/p>\n

The Giants, under head coach John Harbaugh, are going to be a run-heavy team and need that mauler. However, they must also protect quarterback Jaxson Dart, which may give Mauigoa if the Giants opt for an offensive lineman in Round 1.<\/p>\n

Mauigoa’s football intelligence and physical tools position him as an instant contributor who could transition inside effectively. Projected as high as the No. 5 overall pick, he offers the size, strength, and consistency the Giants require to upgrade their interior line and inject much-needed physicality.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: 2026 NFL draft: Francis Mauigoa could be Giants’ solution at RG<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Giants enter the 2026 NFL draft with a glaring need at right guard. After missing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":856693,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[7,7779,6643,13,56,6,1799,351],"class_list":{"0":"post-856692","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-francis-mauigoa","10":"tag-greg-van-roten","11":"tag-jaxson-dart","12":"tag-new-york-giants","13":"tag-nfl","14":"tag-the-giants","15":"tag-will-campbell"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116357314543315495","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856692"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856692\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856693"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856692"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856692"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}