Making two top-10 picks for the second time in five drafts, the Giants ended up with Arvell Reese and Francis Mauigoa. Reese has not yet signed his rookie contract, but Mauigoa put pen to paper Wednesday.
The former Miami tackle will be tied to a fully guaranteed four-year deal (worth $30.96MM) as the No. 10 overall pick. All first-round deals since 2011 have included a fifth-year option. The Giants are planning to begin Mauigoa’s career at guard, having re-signed right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to go with All-Pro Andrew Thomas. Reese is now the Giants’ only unsigned draftee.
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New York acquired the No. 10 overall pick from Cincinnati in the pre-draft Dexter Lawrence blockbuster. While the Giants were connected to a handful of players with their two first-rounders, few expected the Reese-Mauigoa duo to materialize. Tied to Caleb Downs — a player who would have given John Harbaugh a potential impact safety along the lines of Kyle Hamilton — the Giants instead bolstered their O-line at No. 10 despite having re-signed Eluemunor to a three-year, $39MM deal in March. Downs went to the Cowboys one pick later.
Although the Browns considered Mauigoa at No. 9, they chose Utah’s Spencer Fano. That left the Miami product for the Giants, who have chosen a Miami O-lineman in the first round for the second time since 2015. New York did not see former No. 9 overall pick Ereck Flowers pan out, though he had some success as a guard later in his career. Mauigoa worked primarily as the Hurricanes’ right tackle, and while he certainly could become the team’s post-Eluemunor starter there, a guard transition is on tap first. Mauigoa is expected to line up at right guard, where veteran Greg Van Roten played over the past two seasons.
Mauigoa did not miss a snap at Miami, but some teams viewed him as a medical risk due to a back issue. Some clubs believed Mauigoa would need back surgery at some point, but the Giants will move forward with the high-profile prospect. Ely Allen’s PFR mock draft sent Mauigoa to the Giants at No. 5 — before the Lawrence trade was agreed to — and post-draft reporting indicated the team would have pulled the trigger there had Reese been off the board.
Earning first-team All-ACC honors in 2025, Mauigoa helped Miami make a surprise run to the CFP championship game last season. The acclaimed RT garnered second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 and freshman All-America accolades in 2023. The Giants have struggled to find long-term guard answers for more than a decade now, and while Mauigoa may be moved to RT at some point during his rookie contract, he will be asked to fill a void at RG for the time being.