Mystery draft offer couldn’t sway Giants from Francis Mauigoa pick

The trade offer came in, and the Giants began weighing the reward of gaining better positioning later in the 2026 draft against the risk of losing the ability to add Francis Mauigoa.

Verdict: rejected.

So, what is Mauigoa’s reaction to hearing that a team — maybe his adoptive-hometown Dolphins — might have been trying to trade up for him?

“I’m here, so ain’t nothing they can do about it,” Mauigoa cracked. “First dibs.”

Yes, the Giants are as happy to have Mauigoa at right guard as any teenager who called the “shotgun” seat before piling into an overcrowded car.

Mauigoa took “pretty much every rep” during the two-day rookie minicamp, according to head coach John Harbaugh, as he began his transition from right tackle at Miami.

“Looked like a natural at guard,” Harbaugh added. “Sometimes, things happen a little quicker [at guard]. You have to get out of your stance a little quicker. We’ll see when the pads come on; that will be another thing for him. To see him playing at guard for the first time, I thought he did really good.”

Giants center Francis Mauigoa (65), left, and Derrick Graham (76) ,right, during football practice. Noah K. Murray-NY Post

The in-house production “Giants Life” revealed draft-night video of an unidentified team calling general manager Joe Schoen to offer a trade that he mulled over with the rest of the war room.

“There’s no guarantee he’s going to be there [after a trade-down],” Schoen told Harbaugh, seemingly referencing Mauigoa. “I think they are coming up for an offensive lineman.”

The details of the offer are unclear, though Harbaugh was reluctant to give up pick No. 37 as part of the deal, which has prompted speculation that the Dolphins might have pitched No. 11 and No. 30 for No. 10 and No. 37.

Schoen told his lieutenants that he wanted to “just stay and don’t be cute.” But if the two remaining players in the top five on the Giants draft board are “both gone, let’s do it.”

The Saints drafted receiver Jordyn Tyson at No. 8, the Browns drafted offensive tackle Spencer Fano at No. 9, and the Giants rejected the mystery trade to call Mauigoa.

Francis Mauigoa of Miami celebrates after being selected tenth overall pick by the New York Giants. Getty Images

“I was excited,” Mauigoa said. “I’m not an emotional type of guy, but internally, I was pumped. Miami was a big city. New York is a big city.”

The Dolphins subsequently traded down to No. 12 and drafted offensive lineman Kadyn Proctor. If Mauigoa had landed in Miami, the American Samoa native could’ve stayed in Florida, where his parents relocated while he attended high school at IMG Academy and then college.

Instead, Mauigoa should be the lone new starter on the best Giants offensive line in 15 years.

He will line up next to right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor, a former guard.

“I’m going to work my butt off to the standard and hopefully uplift that standard,” Mauigoa said. “We’re excited about each other; can’t wait to move people.”

Mauigoa trained for the draft with former Giants center and fellow Hurricanes product Jon Feliciano and spoke with his college teammate Jalen Rivers — who transitioned from tackle to guard for the Bengals — before minicamp.

“Playing at tackle, you have all the space, where at guard everything happens so fast,” Mauigoa said. “It’s not something I really need to work on – it’s something that I need to get used to.”

It’s not completely new territory. Mauigoa sporadically hopped in at guard during some spring, summer and fall practices over three years just to build versatility under offensive line coach Alex Mirabal.

“Coach Mirabal teaching us jump set and everything, some stuff will work on the NFL level and some won’t. It’s a lot of tools in the belt,” Mauigoa said.

“Coach Mirabal believed in knowing all the positions. If you play all the positions, you make yourself valuable. Also, if you play right tackle, right guard, center, you know everybody’s job — and it makes it easier for you to know what you’re doing and what your teammates are doing.”