Francis Mauigoa makes passionate promise to Jaxson Dart after being drafted by Giants

The New York Giants got young quarterback Jaxson Dart some needed protection when they selected Miami tackle Francis Mauigoa with the 10th overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on Thursday night. 

Shortly after Mauigoa learned that he'll be playing in home games held at MetLife Stadium this September, he shared a passionate promise for his new QB1.

Francis Mauigoa ready to give Jaxson Dart all he has

"I'm ready to die for you, man," Mauigoa said in a message to Dart, per ESPN's Jordan Raanan.

The Giants reportedly are worried about Dart's long-term health after he missed two games because of a concussion and was pulled from contests five times to get checked for a concussion as a rookie. While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Mauigoa was asked to expand on his "die for you" psyche. 

"That should be everybody's mentality," Mauigoa responded, per the Giants' website. "As an offensive lineman, we should be able to put everything on the line because the quarterback is the key of the offense. So, to be able to block for a quarterback and to be able to make plays and open up holes for the running back, that's what we're supposed to do. It's not something that people want us to – It's something that we're expected to do, that's what we need to do."

Why Giants were comfortable with drafting Francis Mauigoa despite back injury

Mauigoa reportedly has a herniated disc in his back that is asymptomatic but may one day require him to have surgery. According to NFL Media's Mike Garafolo, the Giants "worked closely with the Hurricanes’ athletic training and medical staffs leading up to the draft," which made Big Blue "supremely confident in the info they got on" Mauigoa’s back.

"We’re fortunate that the former trainer from the University of Miami is now one of our trainers (Adam Bennett)," Giants general manager Joe Schoen explained, per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. "So we have somebody that’s been with [Mauigoa] for his entire time at Miami, and lived with him through the process. ...We were certainly comfortable with it."

Meanwhile, NFL insider Connor Hughes of SNY added that most sources he spoke with "believed Mauigoa to be the best lineman in this class." If that truly is the case, the Giants may have landed the top steal of the 2026 draft.