Giovanni Manu 'Holding His Own' Heading into Second Season

The Detroit Lions surprised many fans and pundits alike when they traded up to draft University of British Columbia product Giovanni Manu in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft (No. 126 overall). 

Manu, an extremely raw prospect who failed to dress for a single regular season game in his debut NFL season, was the first International Player Pathway program participant selected in last April’s draft. 

Manu was born and raised on the South Pacific island of Tonga, which is a short plane ride away from Samoa, the hometown of fellow Lions offensive lineman Penei Sewell. At 11 years old, Manu and his two siblings, along with their mother, moved to the Vancouver, Canada, area.  

Manu – a rugby player in Tonga – suited up for five seasons at the University of British Columbia. The 6-foot-7, 352-pounder was a relative unknown before impressing the masses at his pro day, during which he ran a 4.96 40-yard dash and posted a 33.5-inch vertical.

Manu remains an unfinished product headed into his second NFL season. However, from all accounts, the physically-imposing lineman is ready to take the next step in his career development in 2025.

For starters, he's put in a ton of time this offseason working on his craft in Arizona with former NFL center LeCharles Bentley. Bentley, who played four seasons in the league and was a two-time Pro Bowler, is one of the most reputable offensive line trainers in the country today. He's spent time training several other offensive linemen over the years, too, including Manu's Detroit teammate, Taylor Decker.

"With LeCharles, there are a lot of (trainers) out there who do a really good job with these guys, and I know what kind of shape Decker is in,” Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley said. “We have a bunch of guys that go to LeCharles that are on our roster here. I know this, Decker always comes in ready to play, in shape, and ready to go. I know LeCharles a little bit. We played in the same era a little bit there. So, I like what LeCharles is about and how he gets the guys ready to play.” 

Fellow Lions players, like Sewell, have also taken notice of Manu's dedication to his craft this offseason.

“It's always good to see,” Sewell said of the second-year lineman. "Obviously, social media is a thing, so everyone can kind of see what he's got going on over there in Arizona. And, it's always good to work with a teammate. So, he's out there with ‘Big Dog’ (Decker), just holding his own.

"He's just coming back, trying to build upon what he was kinda doing before the season's end," Sewell added. “He was doing some great things, so just building upon that technically. Right now, I think the mental aspect is where he's got to grow.” 

Confidence is high regarding Manu among several members of the Lions organization, including general manager Brad Holmes. Holmes believes the Tonga native has made major strides since entering the team's Allen Park practice facility as a rookie a year ago. 

"If you watched the film of Gio in OTAs (as a rookie) and you watched the film of Gio in practice (at the end of the season), I mean, it literally was night and day,” Holmes told reporters earlier this year. “That's credit to Hank (Fraley) and (assistant offensive line coach) Steve Oliver and all those guys just working with him. And credit to him, because he was conscientious of making sure that he improved.” 

Now, it's all about whether Manu can take what he's learned from Fraley and others and apply it to the playing field. Fraley is confident that he can.

“All these little things he's heard me a whole year saying it, and it's can I take this, and now, without thinking of all these little things that come into play, can I keep playing fast? I think that's what we're going to see,” the longtime offensive line coach expressed.

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