New York Giants' Chris Snee played key role in evaluating Francis Mauigoa

John Fennelly, Giants WireTue, May 5, 2026 at 5:00 PM UTC

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The New York Giants selected Miami offensive tackle Francis "Sisi" Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

It was the right move. The Giants have needed a dominating offensive line for years, and Mauigoa is the type of player who can help them move towards that.

The Giants do not intend to play Mauigoa at tackle, though. Head coach John Harbaugh plans on starting him inside at guard. The team already has a pair of top tackles in Andrew Thomas and Jermaine Eluemunor, with the emerging Marcus Mbow serving as the swing.

Experts would say that taking such a high pick and shifting their position is a cardinal sin in football. But for the Giants, they don't see a problem. Mauigoa is talented enough to make the transition, and the Giants have the ultimate in-house mentor in Chris Snee, a former All-Pro right guard, the spot where they plan to use Mauigoa.

Snee, a two-time Super Bowl champion who was inducted into the Giants' Ring of Honor, currently serves as a senior scout for the organization. He has been a valuable resource for general manager Joe Schoen.

"That's the advantage of having Chris Snee on our staff," Schoen told John Schmeelk on the Giants Huddle podcast. "You can talk to a guy that's done it at a really high level."

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The Giants believe Mauigoa can make a smooth transition with the help of Snee and the new coaching staff.

"When you see him physically, he's got this boxy, dense build," Schoen said of Mauigoa. "He looks like a guard, and then you watch him slide his feet and you're like, OK, well, he can certainly play tackle as well. So, obviously, having brought Jermaine [Eluemunor] back, we thought he would slide into to right guard, and it'd be an easy transition for him. At his pro day, you could see the athleticism, the quickness, the bend. There's no doubt in my mind or the staff's mind that he would be able to do it."

The shift was not a surprise for Mauigoa. He had been working out at guard during the run-up to the draft in an effort to boost his draft stock. It is now almost a requirement for college offensive linemen to display their versatility.

"Things happen faster [at guard]," Schoen said. "Guys get on you faster. They're quicker. They're going to get in your chest, so you've got to be able to handle that. You've got to have some instincts and quickness and power because at tackle you have a little bit more space. You may have a couple of steps in your pass slide before an outside backer gets their hand on you. Things are going to happen quicker in there."

The Giants will be going with a lineup that will have Thomas and Eluemunor at the tackle spots, former second-round pick John Michael Schmitz at center, and Mauigoa and Jon Runyon, Jr. at right and left guard, respectively.

This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: Giants' Chris Snee played key role in evaluating Francis Mauigoa

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