The New York Giants enter the offseason with a new regime in charge and several pressing personnel issues to address. Wide receiver and cornerback are at the forefront, but depending on what happens throughout free agency, general manager Joe Schoen may need to address the offensive line once again.
Veteran right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor is set to become an unrestricted free agent on the heels of a career-best season, meaning he’s likely to generate some interest. If the Giants fail to bring him back, they’ll again need to find a bookend for Andrew Thomas.
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In the first mock draft from NFL Network’s Bucky Brooks, they do exactly that with Miami’s Francis Mauigoa at No. 5 overall.
The Giants get back to their menacing ways under new coach John Harbaugh by fortifying the trenches with fresh talent. Mauigoa is a natural right tackle who specializes in bullying defenders at the point of attack with superior size and strength, and New York could have a hole at the position with Jermaine Eluemunor’s impending free agency.
Fellow NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein believes Mauigoa is likely to move inside to guard at the NFL level.
Highly touted prospect who met expectations as a durable three-year starter at right tackle. Mauigoa has a guard’s broad build, but he moves like a tackle in pass sets. He’s highly experienced with an impressive football IQ that pops on tape. He has good contact balance and a strong core. He delivers firm first contact but excessive leaning diminishes not only his leverage and sustain as a run blocker but also his ability to deal with spin counters when protecting. He’s good at trapping rushers at the turn and can smother their momentum. He has the footwork, anchor and punch timing to diversify his pass-set approach. He works with an innate feel for pocket depth and is rarely out-paced to the top by speed. Mauigoa has a high ceiling but the leaning must be eradicated. He’ll be an early starter at right tackle but a move to guard could be on the table in the future.
With Marcus Mbow, a 2025 fifth-round pick, already on the roster and having gained valuable tackle experience as a rookie, it seems unlikely — but not impossible — that the Giants will select an offensive lineman fifth overall.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants add a bullying tackle in first Bucky Brooks mock draft