Giants select Miami OT Francis Mauigoa with 10th pick of NFL draft

Miami coach Mario Cristobal is a former offensive lineman, and he emphasizes offensive-line play. When he had the time to recruit his first full class as UM's coach, he targeted one of the nation's best high school offensive linemen.

Francis Mauigoa decided to join the Hurricanes in 2022, and by the time he left, he was one of the best linemen in the nation.

The New York Giants took the Hurricanes' offensive tackle with the 10th pick in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday night. Mauigoa is the first Miami offensive lineman to be picked in the first round since Ereck Flowers was selected with the ninth pick in the 2015 draft.

"I'm very thankful they gave me the opportunity to play here at the University of Miami," Mauigoa said before UM played in the national title game this year. "To be under coach Cristobal's wing, that's something special - his offensive line coaches, as well. And he pushes his offensive linemen to be the tone-setters for every practice."

Mauigoa was the No. 2 offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class, according to 247Sports' composite rankings. So when he arrived at UM, there were high expectations. He lived up to that standard, taking over as the starting right tackle in his first season. Mauigoa had growing pains but had an overall solid freshman season. He notched a 68.1 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus but had nine penalties and allowed five sacks. He was named a Freshman All-American by several outlets and was an All-ACC honorable mention.

Mauigoa improved his sophomore year. He cut his penalties from nine to five and allowed just one sack. PFF gave him a 70.7 offensive grade. Mauigoa was picked for the All-ACC second team.

The standout tackle got even better as a junior. Mauigoa allowed two sacks during UM's 16-game season and did not commit a penalty during Miami's four-game playoff run. He had an 82.6 offensive grade, highlighted by his 87 pass-blocking grade.

The junior lineman even got a rushing touchdown, catching a backward pass against Syracuse and rumbling about 13 yards for a rushing touchdown.

"It's a good touchdown, but I wanted to run over somebody," Mauigoa said after that game. "I was looking forward to running over somebody with a touchdown, actually. So that's why there was no celebration."

Mauigoa was picked for the All-ACC first team, earned the ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was a consensus first-team All-American.

"Obviously, he's one of the best players in the country at what he does," Miami quarterback Carson Beck said in December.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 8:07 PM.