Cardinals Draft Target Francis Mauigoa Draws Attention With Injury Check

The Arizona Cardinals have plenty of options with their third overall pick, though if you scatter the land of mock drafts across the web, you'll find Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa consistently tabbed to the desert.

The fit makes sense. Mauigoa is the draft's top tackle prospect while Arizona has a glaring need at right tackle for 2026 and beyond. Though it wouldn't be a conventionally sexy pick, it would fill a massive hole in Arizona.

And while that still seems to be the case, NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported today Mauigoa is set to have an injury re-evaluated ahead of the draft, which begins April 23.

"#Miami OT Francis Mauigoa, potentially the top tackle in the Draft, has decided to be at Combine Rechecks on Friday for additional imaging on a minor back issue that caused him some discomfort late in the season, sources say.

"Mauigoa started 42 straight games in college, including all 16 this season, and upon full professional consultation is not considered a candidate for immediate surgery. He did perform fully at his Pro Day and currently is symptom-free. But some teams have asked for additional testing on a disc issue and with nothing to hide, Mauigoa heads to Indy."

What to Make of Francis Mauigoa Injury News

While this doesn't need to be blown out of proportion, it's certainly not nothing, either.

It's tough to imagine any player is fully healthy after a prominent college football season like Mauigoa had, helping the Hurricanes reach the CFP National Championship. Anchoring Miami's right side of the line and facing premier pass rushers will take a toll on his body.

He played in 16 games for the Hurricanes last season while featuring in 13 games in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. The best ability is availability, and that's something Mauigoa has provided.

Quite frankly, it's smart of Mauigoa to not hide any injury concerns and oblige interested NFL teams in getting a recheck.

For what it's worth, Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort has never strayed away from players with injury history. You can look at last year in example, stopping Will Johnson's eye-opening fall out of the first round while in 2023 he took a gamble on both Michael Wilson and Garrett Williams — both of which were coming off injury-riddled seasons/careers at the college level.

This news wouldn't/shouldn't stop the Cardinals from taking Mauigoa in the first round.