Is it Time for Giants to Be Concerned About Francis Mauigoa?

When the New York Giants selected Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick of the NFL Draft — the pick the Giants acquired in the Dexter Lawrence deal — back in April, just about everyone was in agreement with the decision.

Sure, there were some slight concerns about Mauigoa's back injury, but the general consensus was that the Giants landed a mauler who would help their offensive line.

Mauigoa played right tackle at Miami, but with New York already having Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor on the outside, it moved him on the interior to right guard.

Considering that guard is generally an easier position than tackle, the prevailing thought was that Mauigoa would have no problem making the switch.

Well, six games into his rookie campaign, there have indeed been serious issues.

Mauigoa has not been good in 2026. Period. He had an awful game against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, and he wasn't great Weeks 1 through 5, either.

In fact, since 2014, Mauigoa is one of only four first-round offensive linemen with a blocking grade under 30.0 with over 10 pressures allowed in true pass sets. The other three? Zion Johnson, Alex Leatherwood and Giants legend Ereck Flowers.

It's not that Mauigoa has just been bad in pass protection, though. The 6-foot-6, 335-pound behemoth has also somehow been terrible against the run, owning a 49.7 run-blocking grade at Pro Football Focus. His overall grade is just 46.4, which ranks 72nd among 76 guards.

As I've said many times, PFF is not a be-all-end-all, but it is generally a pretty good indicator of player performance, and any Giants fan being honest with themselves will admit that the eye test matches the numbers.

For as powerful and sturdy as Mauigoa is, he has been blown up at the line of scrimmage far too often, which is a big reason why New York's rushing attack has struggled so much thus far this season.

Mauigoa obviously isn't the sole reason for that. Jon Runyan Jr. has been terrible at left guard, and Thomas' groin injury has limited him considerably at left tackle. It should also be noted that Eluemunor missed Week 6 due to a calf issue.

But the Giants drafted Mauigoa with the hope that he would help stabilize an interior offensive line that had been subpar for years. Thus far, it hasn't happened.

Of course, Mauigoa is just 21 years old, and he is playing out of position relative to where he played in college. There is understandably going to be an adjustment period for him.

So, no: nobody should be writing off Mauigoa after six games.

But what I will say is that I think everyone expected more out of the youngster. He was viewed as a very NFL-ready talent, and many had him tabbed as the best all-around offensive lineman in his draft class.

I'm not surprised that Mauigoa has faced some difficulty. He is a rookie, after all. But I am surprised that he has looked this overmatched.

Hopefully, Mauigoa is able to adapt, because right now, he is a major liability in the trenches for the Giants.