Through no fault of his own, there hasn't been too much coming out of training camp about New York Giants rookie offensive lineman Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa. That's pretty standard for a 6-foot-6, 330-pound mammoth who's been relegated to shorts-only work. Still, fans have been waiting for an update on their 10th overall pick.
You'd be forgiven if you thought that the all-quiet on the West Virginia front was due to a struggle with his position switch from right tackle to right guard. Transitions take time, especially in the NFL, where you are learning a new role while simultaneously getting used to the size and speed of the competition. Not making headlines during the first week of camp might’ve made it seem like Arvell Reese was the only top-10 pick making noise.
But now that the pads are on and contact is allowed, the 21-year-old human bulldozer is going unnoticed no longer.
Francis Mauigoa became the talk of Giants camp in one afternoon
There's only so much Sisi could have done over the past week without pads or contact that would be worth writing about. Without being able to get his mitts on defenders and block them into oblivion, it's a lot of just looking big in his stance and wondering how he'd fare once he was allowed to let loose.
And now we know.
The former Miami star had just about everyone talking after Day 1 of padded practice, forcing head coach John Harbaugh to break out the classic coach speak before the real hitting even started.
Harbaugh tried his best to play it cool, giving fans the standard line about needing to take a look at the film first:
"Francis (Mauigoa) is doing well, Sisi. I've got to see the tape because today will be a big day for him with the pads on, so we'll see what it looks like."
I'm sure watching film will be helpful, but if Harbs just stayed back and listened to the rest of the guys who played next to him/lined up across from him, he could save himself some TV time. Because once practice wrapped, the post-practice podium turned into the unofficial Francis Mauigoa fan club.
Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor (who has been in Sisi's corner from Day 1) couldn't hide his excitement about the rookie lining up to his left, even if he wanted to, raving about his maturity as a young guy:
"You can tell that he has that leadership trait that is rare in a young guy his age. I think, what, he's 21? And so, the sky's the limit for him, too. I think him and Arvell are going to be huge players for us this year."
Then came running back Tyrone Tracy Jr., who was less focused on his blocking technique and more struck by the sheer gravitational pull and quiet swagger the rookie carries with him (also, great callback from the 26-year-old on Sisi's incredible draft-night quote about dying for Jaxson Dart after being selected):
"He doesn't say much. But when you're on the field, man, you can definitely feel his presence. He's going to move people. When he got drafted, he's out there ready to die. That's who he is as a person. He's out there putting it all on the line, each and every play. He's a great player. He's a great player."
And while it's nice hearing the praise from the offensive fraternity, if you want an honest evaluation of an offensive lineman, you ask the 11-year veteran defensive tackle who spent his whole afternoon battling against him. D.J. Reader didn't sugarcoat the challenge:
"He's very heavy-handed and he can move. It's good to be around some young, joyful energy. I'm getting up there in some years. He's a kid, I know he's going to make me bring it every day."
The shorts-and-T-shirt portion of summer is officially over, and so is the quiet start to Francis Mauigoa’s training camp. Pads have a funny way of revealing who offensive linemen really are, and it didn’t take long for the rookie to start turning heads.
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