Most Concerning Question Giants Face With Rookie Francis Mauigoa

From the wide-open spaces of tackle to the "phone booth" of the NFL interior, rookie Francis Mauigoa is embracing a high-stakes position switch to solidify Big Blue’s offensive line.

Apr 24, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants draft pick Francis Mauigoa addresses the media during the introductory press conference at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | Tom Horak-Imagn Images

New York Giants first-round pick Francis Mauigoa is going to be really good for the Giants, which is why they not only highly coveted him in this year’s draft, but they also didn’t hesitate in making him a Giant.

As with all rookies, it takes time for them to acclimate to the NFL's pace. But for Mauigoa, he’s going to have the added challenge of converting from offensive tackle, where he played all but ten game snaps of his college career at Miami, to playing guard at the NFL level.

Mauigoa has already embraced the challenge of becoming the team’s new starting right guard.

His transition, which began in college when the coaches had him practice along the interior, combined with his willingness and determination to make the conversion a success, is more than half the battle.

But it won’t be easy, not at this level. Mauigoa admitted that it will take some getting used to, particularly the reduction in space with which he’ll have to work.

“Playing at tackle, you have all the space, where at guard, everything happens so fast,” he said this past weekend. “It's not something I really need to work on; it's something that I need to get used to.”

Fortunately for Mauigoa, he began preparing for the move before his name was called in the draft.

“(Maimi offensive line coach) Coach (Alex) Mirabal believed in knowing all the positions,” he said.

“It makes sense. If you play all the positions, you make yourself valuable. Also, if you play right tackle, right guard, center, you know everything, you know everybody's job, and it makes it easier for you versus playing at one position.

“It makes it easier for you to know what you're doing and what the other players, your teammates, are doing.”

Getting used to a new view

Former Giants guard Greg Van Roten, whom Mauigoa is replacing in the starting lineup, spoke about the challenges of playing inside last year when Evan Neal was attempting to make that transition, noting that despite having less space with which to work, there is still a matter of going against quicker, more athletic defensive linemen.

“Honestly, with the ability that you see in these defensive linemen these days, they're not these big fat slugs anymore,” Van Roten said. “They're very athletic, dynamic.

“Yeah, (defensive linemen) are closer to you, but that doesn't mean that it's easier to block them.”

Transitioning to guard from tackle also means adjusting one’s footwork and speed , their reaction timing, and, in the run game, being able to pull, all of which Mauigoa is going to hammer away at so that, come training camp, when the pads go on, he can hit the ground running.

Emory Hunt, a college football analyst for CBS Sports, points out that consistency of power is also going to be an adjustment Mauigoa will have to make.

“Guys are strong all the time at the NFL level,” Hunt told the Locked On Giants podcast. “There's no 19-year-old, you know, defensive tackles or defensive edge rushers. You're dealing with grown men and grown men's strength consistently.

“So getting used to the level of power he's going to see week in, week out, down in, down out is where the biggest adjustment he's going to have to make.”

May 9, 2026; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Giants offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (65, left) participates in a drill during rookie minicamp at Quest Diagnostics Training Center. | John Jones-Imagn Images

The good news is that, with cross-training at Miami and his own strength, Mauigoa is well-positioned for a successful transition.

“I think the initial shock of, ‘Okay, this was a strong guy; the next guy I face won't be as strong.’ Nope. He's gonna be equally as strong, if not stronger,” Hunt said.

“So there's a baseline level of strength at the pro level up front that he's going to have to get acclimated to right away.”

Optimism is high that the American Samoan native will succeed in this transition, but it’s perfectly understandable to have some questions in the interim and for Mauigoa to experience some setbacks early on as he gets used to his new position.

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