When the New York Giants realistically targeted Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa in this past spring’s draft, they knew the All-American would have a steeper learning curve than other rookies.
Mauigoa almost exclusively played right tackle at Miami, with his only guard reps coming in practice. However, the Giants announced on draft night that the No. 10 pick would slide inside, and early offseason reviews were consistently positive.
But through the season’s first month, the Giants’ offensive line has been a mixed bag at best; a unit that returned four of five starters cannot keep the quarterbacks on their feet, and the offense’s 283.3 yards per game ranks seventh-worst league-wide. Mauigoa hasn’t dominated opposing linemen as fans may have expected, and Pro Football Focus hasn’t been much impressed either.
Pro Football Focus remains down on New York Giants rookie guard Francis Mauigoa
We’ve spent plenty of time discussing PFF’s flawed metric system and how it’s often used to push false narratives. That said, there are times, albeit rarely, when their evaluations somewhat align with the eye test. It’s not quite the “broken clock is right twice a day” reality, seeing as their ratings are subjective, but it’s close enough.
Mauigoa entered Week 4 with a 47.6 overall PFF grade, placing him No. 63 of 72 guards. His 34.0 pass-block grade placed 65th, and the service credited him with five pressures allowed on Sunday, pushing his season total to 13. His 46.0 grade trailed only running back Najee Harris’ 41.6 during the comeback win.
We haven’t seen enough of the 70-plus-qualified guards to determine whether Mauigoa is among the bottom 10. But what we can say is that the Giants’ interior — Mauigoa, center John Michael Schmitz, and left guard Jon Runyan Jr. — has underperformed relative to expectations, especially given the continuity factor. You would naturally believe the unit would flourish when John Harbaugh elected to retain 80 percent of the starting offensive line.
In addition to the five pressures, Pro Football Focus credited Mauigoa with allowing a sack, three quarterback hurries, and a hit on Jameis Winston. He’s given up eight pressures in the last three weeks, and his ghastly 22.8 pass protection grade is extremely concerning, even more so when remembering the Giants already lost Dart for the regular season.
Bias aside, it’s still far too early to sound the alarm and worry about Mauigoa’s long-term future. He’s a 21-year-old rookie transitioning to the NFL and an entirely new position, but what makes us optimistic is his work ethic. We haven't heard him show a lack of effort or poor conditioning; he’s working through a rough patch, and he has 13 games left to change the narrative.
Besides, it’d be much easier to look past a mediocre first season if the end result is the Giants’ first NFC East crown in 15 years.
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