The New York Giants selected University of Miami offensive lineman Francis ‘Sisi’ Mauigoa 10th overall in the 2026 NFL draft to be a force at a weak position, so they should take seriously the words of a franchise great and Hurricanes alumnus who’s made a bold prediction about the rookie.
Former Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey told New York Post Sports Mauigoa “is an impact player right out the gate! There’s not going to be a play where he’s not gonna be playing this year.”
Those are welcome words, but the Giants would naturally expect a top-10 pick to see the field early and often during his debut season in the pros. Even though the team is already fully “aware” of a “necessary” risk involving the 20-year-old.
Shockey’s more exciting prediction concerns his immediate expectations for how dominant beefy tackle Mauigoa can be in the NFL.
Jeremy Shockey Sets the Bar High for Francis Mauigoa
Shockey’s views are credible as a former 14th-overall pick who became the Rookie of the Year and powered the Giants to the playoffs in 2002. He was also went to the Pro Bowl and was named an All-Pro, and Shockey is setting the bar just as high for Mauigoa.
Specifically, Shockey views Mauigoa as “an amazing talent.” A player who, “if they move him at guard, he’ll be an All-Pro guard his first year!”
Former #NYGiants star Jeremy Shockey is very high on Big Blue’s No. 10 pick Francis Mauigoa, a fellow Miami alum
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The leap from debut starter to All-Pro is significant, but this is just what the Giants should want to hear from somebody in the know. Especially when new general manager Joe Schoen has already confirmed this about Mauigoa, “We’re going to put him inside at guard,” per Giants.com Managing Editor Dan Salomone.
It will help 6-foot-5, 329-pound Mauigoa also “requested guard reps in practice to gain some experience inside” during his college career. The player pointed out “There are five offensive line positions; I just want one of them,” according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic.
Shockey, who lifted the Super Bowl trophy with the 2007 Giants, will welcome those words, since he knows the value of strong offensive line play.
He’ll also know, like many observing the current roster, how this year’s iteration of Big Blue has more than a few question marks at guard.
Giants Searching for Answers at Guard
The lofty expectations Shockey sets for Mauigoa make sense when the former Giants playmaker also lifted a Lombardi Trophy with the New Orleans Saints in 2009. Shockey saw firsthand the true value of dominant guards, as soon-to-be All-Pros and multiple Pro Bowlers Carl Nicks and Jahri Evans kept quarterback Drew Brees clean in the pocket.
There’s no Nicks nor Evans on the roster for the Giants, but they represent the benchmark for Mauigoa. He’s being kicked inside because Schoen and new head coach John Harbaugh are exploring every possible solution for getting better along the interior of the O-line.
Some of those solutions included adding Lucas Patrick and Harbaugh’s former Baltimore Ravens starter Daniel Faalele in free agency. They are serviceable potential starters, but neither offers the same upside as Mauigoa.
Fortunately, he’s already “been working with former Giants center Jon Feliciano on the guard position,” according to Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News.
It’s the perfect way for Mauigoa to start on the path toward clearing the high bar set by Shockey.
Giants Super Bowl Winner Sets the Bar High for Francis Mauigoa