Francis Mauigoa had to wait a bit longer than expected to hear his name called in the 2026 NFL Draft. The offensive lineman fell to the tenth overall pick when the New York Giants made a smart move and selected him to protect Jaxson Dart. To say Mauigoa was excited by the pick is an understatement.
Francis Mauigoa Makes Emotional Promise to Jaxson Dart Following Giants’ Selection
Many mock drafts had Mauigoa going to the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 3 pick, but his name was only called at the end of the top 10. The young, promising offensive core that the Giants had in 2025 got yet another future superstar.
Mauigoa was excited to join the Giants, who will enter a new era under John Harbaugh. Speaking after his selection, which earned a solid B grade from our PFSN NFL Draft HQ, Mauigoa promised that he was “ready to die” to protect Dart:
“I’ll die by this sh*t man,” Mauigoa said. “I’m ready to die for you, man. I know a lot of things have happened, but I’m ready to die for you, bro.”
Francis Mauigoa’s message for Jaxson Dart:pic.twitter.com/vQUhHAoy50
— Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) April 24, 2026
Mauigoa joins the Giants after a productive 2026 class, which gave them Abdul Carter and Jaxson Dart in the first round. This is another great move by the franchise, which suffered many injuries in 2025 but still had exciting moments from its young players on offense.
“At 6’6″, 335 pounds, Mauigoa has exceptional mass and inbuilt power, and he’s a nimble, explosive, and rangy mover with easy hip flexibility, torque, and realignment freedom,” PFSN’s scouting report on him noted. “More than that, he’s already an incredibly balanced mover and an advanced hand-fighter, who specializes as an opportunistic attacker with situational adaptability.”
John Harbaugh was known for prioritizing the best players available rather than forcing picks at positions of need. Luckily for the Giants, they were able to do both. Mauigoa represents excellent value with the No. 10 pick, and he also plays in a position of need for the offense.
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
The Giants allowed 48 sacks during the 2025 season, tying with the New England Patriots for the 9th-highest mark. Their OL was ranked as No. 15 in our PFSN OL Impact Metric. There was clear room for improvement, despite having Andrew Thomas on the roster.
Dart, with a full offense in 2026, has everything in place to succeed. The returns of Malik Nabers and Cam Skattebo will make the Giants dangerous when the ball is in their hands. Mauigoa will help them even more.
