Why New Giants Mock Draft Misses the Mark on New York's True O-Line Need

There are only two weeks left until the 2026 NFL Draft begins in Pittsburgh, and dozens of highly followed draft analysts are busy trying to round up any last buzzing intel from around the league on what all 32 teams might be with their first selections in round one.

ESPN's Peter Schrager, who just released his first mock draft, has laid out all the information he gathered from conversations at the league meetings in Phoenix last week. What he learned from listening to members of the New York Giants' brass spurned an interesting choice for the franchise in his fresh predictions.

While many mock curators choose Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love or Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles for the Giants, Schrager has New York going in a completely different direction.

With the No. 5 pick of his exercise, he projected John Harbaugh and company to prioritize pass protection for quarterback Jaxson Dart. They would steal the first offensive lineman off the board in Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa, even though Styles was still available.

"New coach John Harbaugh referred to the offensive line as a 'work in progress' at the league meetings," Schrager said in his analysis of the Giants' pick.

"That's not what you want in front of a franchise quarterback who has shown a tendency to use his legs. But Jaxson Dart would love Mauigoa, a road paver with positional versatility. Mauigoa is expected to be the first offensive lineman off the board."

Is Francis Mauigoa the right move for Big Blue at No. 5?

Jan 8, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Miami Hurricanes offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (61) against the Mississippi Rebels during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl and semifinal game of the College Football Playoff at State Farm Stadium. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Schrager's logic is undoubtedly sound in his mock, and we certainly don't hold a differing opinion that the Giants' best first-round option for the offensive line in this class is Francis Mauigoa due to his impressive size and pass protection metrics from his tenure with Miami.

However, the ESPN personality, like a few other draft minds, is continuing to miss the mark on why the Giants will list that area of the roster among their top needs when they arrive at the event on April 23rd.

While the Giants didn't make much noise in the trenches via free agency, the big decision they did manage to capitalize on was the re-signing of Jermaine Eluemunor to retain his job as the stalwart right tackle and counterpart on the bookends with All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas next season.

Now that Eluemunor is back under a new contract and building off a career-high 2025 season, the Giants have some strong insurance at their tackle spots, including their second-year project player in Marcus Mbow, for whom they are gaining confidence in his ability to be a reserve swing tackle going forward.

The real issue, as we've already stressed in prior discussions about the Giants' rising offensive line, is filling out the depth at the three interior positions: left guard, center, and right guard.

New York brought back a couple of beleaguered players (Evan Neal, Joshua Ezeudu) in the hopes that John Harbaugh's coaching pedigree can help resurrect and reshape their roles within the organization. The also added veteran Lucas Patrick to compete for an interior spot either at right guard or as the swing guard/center.

Schrager also made mention of Mauigoa, who earned the fifth-best 79.4 PFF run blocking grade among tackles with at least 375 run blocking snaps, as a "road paver," which is certainly going to draw eyeballs from Giants fans, as the team has had its struggles opening up lanes for the rushing game in previous seasons.

Again, that problem largely stemmed from the Giants' middle three linemen, who each ranked fourth or worse in the entire position group in run-blocking grades during the 2025 campaign.

Thomas and Eluemunor were fairly strong, and the idea of slating Mauigoa in one of the guard spots could help fix the problem if he were willing to learn a new position amid his transition into the NFL.

Even in that situation, asking a rookie who has only 10 reps at right guard during his entire three-year stint with the Hurricanes (2,468 total snaps) is not an avenue that has worked for the franchise, though there are some scouts who believe that Mauigoa has the physical tools to find success inside at guard.

That said, to attack the offensive line with their very first pick in this year's draft feels a bit too misguided relative to where their true weaknesses lie in that unit.

Short of feeling anxiety for Thomas' durability in 2026, we would still say to attack an all-around defender like Sonny Styles and then see if the Giants' leadership can pull a top guard prospect out of the top of the second round to fill that huge gap.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X for the latest news, and send your mailbag questions to us.