With less than two months until training camp, the conversation regarding what defines a “successful” season for players and coaches is well underway.
When it comes to New York Giants rookie right guard Francis Mauigoa, the external expectations are short and simple.
FanSided’s Jake Beckman evaluated all 32 first-round picks earlier this week, setting parameters for what he believes are realistic goals for each player. In Mauigoa’s case, Beckman suggested an ideal season is the rookie making 15 starts and playing close to 1,000 snaps.
“If he’s able to get some rookie snaps at either tackle (preferably right), that’s just icing on the cake,” Beckman wrote.
Andrew Thomas remains entrenched at left tackle, and Jermaine Eluemunor received a new contract this offseason. Barring injury, Mauigoa will be the Giants’ only new offensive line starter in Week 1.
Snaps alone shouldn’t dictate a successful season for Francis Mauigoa
Theoretically speaking, the Giants should be ecstatic if Mauigoa meets both of Beckman’s goals. We only have one question: Would those milestones mitigate a potentially disappointing rookie season?
For the sake of conversation, let’s say Mauigoa starts all 17 games but is mediocre. Not necessarily awful, but slightly below average.
If you’re the Giants, is it better to have Mauigoa play 950 snaps of league-average football, or impress over 750 snaps. Then again, Mauigoa only playing 750 snaps likely means something went wrong along the way.
For the record, by no means are we suggesting or projecting that Mauigoa is in for a bad rookie year.
In fact, the opposite is true. Mauigoa is poised to become a vital part of the Giants’ new core, even with the position switch.
Regardless of how Mauigoa’s season turns out, let it be another reminder not to overly rely on Pro Football Focus and advanced metrics. The most important things are staying healthy and keeping Jaxson Dart on his feet.
If Mauigoa accomplishes both and PFF finds reasons to grade him negatively, then we suggest just ignoring it. Beckman’s idea of what constitutes a successful season makes far more sense than a computer’s assumptions.
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