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NY Post Mock Draft 3.0 has the Dolphins Taking
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Long-time NFL reporter Steve Serby put out his Mock Draft 3.0 the other day, and with the 11th pick, he has the Dolphins selecting.

Round 1, Pick #11: Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (FL)

“With right tackle Austin Jackson on a one-year prove-it deal, here is a 6-foot-5 ¹/₂, 330-pound potential bookend for Patrick Paul to protect quarterback Malik Willis.”

NFL.com Draft Profile

Overview

Highly touted prospect who met expectations as a durable three-year starter at right tackle. Mauigoa has a guard’s broad build, but he moves like a tackle in pass sets. He’s highly experienced with an impressive football IQ that pops on tape. He has good contact balance and a strong core. He delivers firm first contact but excessive leaning diminishes not only his leverage and sustain as a run blocker but also his ability to deal with spin counters when protecting. He’s good at trapping rushers at the turn and can smother their momentum. He has the footwork, anchor and punch timing to diversify his pass-set approach. He works with an innate feel for pocket depth and is rarely out-paced to the top by speed. Mauigoa has a high ceiling but the leaning must be eradicated. He’ll be an early starter at right tackle but a move to guard could be on the table in the future.

Strengths

  • Three-year starter and 2025 team captain.
  • Dense build with broad frame and outstanding lean muscle mass.
  • Well-balanced delivering pop on contact into the opponent’s frame.
  • Generates torque from hips to clear kick-out blocks from gaps.
  • Fits the block and cranks up his foot chop to push the sled.
  • Good hip-to-hip positioning working double-teams.
  • Unlocks hips and digs in with in-steps to door-jamb bull rush.
  • Hands are patient during smooth, measured pass slides.
  • Latches in and runs the rush around the pocket.
  • Has anchor for vertical sets and range to hit diagonal set points.

Weaknesses

  • Average range getting to angles and landmarks in outside zone.
  • Too much leaning and not enough bending as a drive blocker.
  • Falls off the block when feet lag behind his pads.
  • Spin counters are a mounting concern in pass pro.
  • Lack of length limits rush redirection when beaten.
  • Could struggle staying connected to stacked moves.

NFLDraftBuzz.com Draft Profile

Draft Profile: Bio

Francis “Sisi” Mauigoa grew up in ‘Ili’ili, American Samoa, where football runs through the bloodline. His brother Frederick started 39 consecutive games at center for Washington State and spent time with the Panthers and Bengals, so the kid knew what the path to Sunday looked like before he ever stepped on American soil. After beginning his high school career at San Bernardino’s Aquinas, the pandemic sent him back to his homeland, where he anchored Tafuna High to an undefeated championship season as a sophomore. That detour only delayed the inevitable, as Mauigoa eventually landed at IMG Academy in Florida, the premier finishing school for elite recruits.

At IMG, Mauigoa developed into the consensus top offensive tackle in the 2023 recruiting class. Every major service gave him five stars, and his offer sheet read like a who’s who of college football royalty. Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, and Texas A&M all came calling, but Mauigoa committed to Mario Cristobal’s Miami program, choosing the Hurricanes over the entire sport. He was ranked the No. 1 offensive tackle nationally by both ESPN and 247Sports, checking in as the No. 5 overall prospect in the ESPN300 and No. 8 in the 247Sports Composite.

The production at Miami has matched the billing. Mauigoa started all 13 games at right tackle as a true freshman, earning Freshman All-America honors from multiple outlets and All-ACC Honorable Mention recognition. His sophomore season brought another 13 starts and second-team All-ACC selection while anchoring an offensive line that powered the nation’s top-ranked offense in both points per game (43.9) and yards per game (537.2). As a junior, Mauigoa earned first-team All-ACC and consensus All-American status, won the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy as the conference’s best offensive lineman, and helped Miami reach the College Football Playoff National Championship game against Indiana. Over three seasons, he accumulated 42 consecutive starts and more than 2,800 offensive snaps without missing a game.

Scouting Report: Strengths
  • Built like a refrigerator with legs. His 315-pound frame carries elite muscle density that allows him to absorb contact and redistribute power through defenders at the point of attack.
  • Anchor is absolutely ridiculous. Bull rushers hit a brick wall when they engage his chest plate, and he rarely surrenders ground even against the most violent power moves in college football.
  • Hands arrive with bad intentions. His initial punch lands with concussive force, stunning defenders at first contact and allowing him to dictate the tempo of every rep from the jump.
  • Movement skills defy his size. Clocked at nearly 20 mph with a 1.72-second 10-yard split, he reaches the second level with surprising burst and maintains body control through traffic.
  • Run blocking carries a mean streak that shows up play after play. He finishes with defenders on the ground, drives through whistles, and imposes his will in short yardage situations.
  • Double teams become destruction projects when he gets involved. Combination blocks generate serious knock-back and reset the line of scrimmage consistently.
  • Balance and body control allow him to recover from compromised positions that would leave most big men on the ground. He stays attached through contact at an impressive rate.
  • Technical growth between seasons shows coaching absorption. Reduced his sacks allowed from five to one between freshman and sophomore years while cutting penalties nearly in half.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
  • Lateral quickness caps out at good rather than elite. Speed rushers with a clean runway can stress his edges, particularly from wide-nine alignments outside the tight end.
  • Mirror ability against sophisticated counter moves remains a work in progress. Extended pass sets expose some limitations in his gravitational pull to the edge.
  • Hand placement wanders outside the frame at times, creating vulnerability to being shed when defenders time their release move properly late in reps.
  • Pad level creeps up during long drives, especially when fatigue sets in. Rising hips compromise his leverage advantage against patient defenders waiting for their moment.
  • Processing complex blitz packages still requires refinement. Late loopers and delayed rushers occasionally catch him flat-footed before recognition kicks in.
Scouting Report: Summary

Mauigoa is a tone-setter who brings a physical mentality that offensive line coaches dream about installing in their room. His anchor and power translate immediately to the NFL level, and you can plug him in at right tackle on day one without losing sleep over protection breakdowns against power rushers. The run game impact will be felt from the first snap, as his ability to create movement and finish blocks with bad intentions can transform a team’s ground attack overnight.

The scheme fit is versatile enough to work in multiple systems. Gap and power concepts highlight his strengths as a drive blocker who can move the line of scrimmage, while his improving athleticism gives him the tools to execute in zone-heavy attacks with continued development. Teams running heavier play-action schemes will love his ability to sell the run before settling into pass protection. Quick game and moving pocket concepts would complement his current skill set at tackle while he continues refining his angles against speed. His elite anchor and heavy hands translate everywhere, making him scheme-proof at the point of attack.

Here is the deal with Mauigoa: the floor is a rock-solid starting right tackle for a decade, and the ceiling touches Pro Bowl caliber play if the technical refinement continues at its current trajectory. The concerns are real but correctable. His lateral limitations against elite speed require attention, but the functional athleticism he has shown suggests the movement skills exist to polish that area of his game. Nothing in his profile screams bust, and everything about his physical tools, competitive temperament, and developmental curve points toward a foundational piece for whoever invests in him.

This article first appeared on Dolphins Talk and was syndicated with permission.

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