The New York Giants hold the fifth pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. John Harbaugh is now the coach and this will mark the first pick of the Harbaugh era. The two Ohio State defenders — Sonny Styles and Caleb Downs — would be excellent additions: high-IQ, tone-setting defensive cornerstones to grow under Harbaugh.
Still, there’s no guarantee that either Styles or Downs will be available for the New York Giants at pick No. 5. Two players that are mocked and discussed to the Giants by the media are offensive
lineman Francis Mauigoa of Miami and running back Jeremiyah Love of Notre Dame. If presented with such a scenario, which one would you choose and why? Here is a case for both.
Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
Build through the trenches, establish the line of scrimmage, hog mollies — this was ineffective fluff for the Giants for quite some time. For more than a decade, New York has worked on building an effective offensive line, and they had a respectable unit under position coach Carmen Bricillo over the last two seasons, but he is now with Brian Daboll in Tennessee. I will not fault the Giants for going offensive line despite signing Jermaine Eluemunor and having Andrew Thomas.
New York has no long-term solutions on the interior of their line. Runyan Jr. and John Michael Schmitz are free agents next year, and there is currently an open competition at right guard. Elumunor has guard versatility, and Mauigoa may be best suited as a defensive guard at the next level. Selecting Mauigoa does not give the Giants a surplus of talent; it offers them options, and there’s a place for him to start in 2025 at either right guard or tackle, depending on how the Giants feel about him.
Mauioga started three years at right tackle for the Hurricanes (2,801 snaps), and allowed just 15 pressures and two sacks in 2025. In total, he allowed 57 pressures and eight sacks through his college career, while committing 21 penalties. Mauigoa was a Consensus All-American in 2025 and a Second-team All-ACC selection in 2024. Here is a brief scouting report on the talented 6-foot-5, 329-pound young offensive lineman:
Francis Mauigoa is an excellent right tackle with a dense – powerful – frame and light feet, with very good explosiveness and surprising fluidity. Mauigoa is crisp with his pass sets and varies his approach, with a devastatingly effective outside hand punch that gains control of the opponent’s chest – once that happens, best of luck! Mauigoa’s toughness and overall play strength are elite, and most tackles don’t possess his size + feather feet combination.
Mauigoa is a high IQ blocker up front, constantly adjusting to pre/post snap defensive movement, while equipped to adjust to moving targets in space – his athletic ability is surprising when on the move. He can pull, does well in COMBO situations, can back-side scoop, or eliminate the front-side with down blocks; while also climbing well and erasing the pursuing linebackers. If Mauigoa had 35-inch arms, he would be discussed more consistently in the top-five, rather than one who MAY be selected there.
The re-signing of Jermaine Eluemunor shouldn’t preclude the Giants from exploring Mauigoa, for the veteran has the versatility to play inside. Yes, the Giants have other issues, but if they want to get smart, tough, and dependable in the trenches, then Mauigoa would be a wise selection at five.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame
The selection of Saquon Barkley at two overall in 2018 still permeates the air around East Rutherford, N.J. The situations are entirely different; the Giants have a quarterback on a rookie deal, stronger infrastructure, and a new Hall of Fame coach seizing the mechanisms of control, which were all foriegn to the Giants in 2018; but still, is drafting a running back in the Top-5 wise when you have a solid running back room and plenty of other holes on your roster? It’s a fair question.
Love isn’t just a running back, though; he is a creative mismatch nightmare for defenses due to his elite receiving back skills. Love can uncover against linebackers, safeties, he can be reliably split out wide and used at all three levels of the field against a player (linebacker) who isn’t comfortable in that position.
This option is made even more dangerous when the Giants incorporate a physical rushing attack that will lead to heavier linebackers. New York will play more 12/22 personnel packages; fullback Patrick Ricard will see the field, and 225-pound linebackers may become a liability against those looks. The presence of Love gives Matt Nagy a valuable tool that forces defense into tough personnel decisions that can be exploited by a creative rushing attack designed by Greg Roman.
Love is a focal point player defenses will worry about, and who will alleviate the burden off Malik Nabers and, most importantly, Jaxson Dart. Here is my brief scouting report on Love.
Jeremiyah Love was a dynamic force for the Fightin’ Irish. He pairs elite athleticism with the ability to force missed tackles and outrun defenders’ pursuit angles with ease. He is decisive, patient, and is difficult to square up, while having the capability of finding a crease and housing runs. Not only is he a homerun threat, but a danger near the line of scrimmage, and a hassle to bring down to the ground due to elite contact balance.
Few running backs in recent memory share his profile; Saquon Barkley and Bijan Robinson are two comparisons that come to mind. Love possesses that same kind of upside—perhaps even more—and in the right situation, he has the potential to develop into one of the NFL’s premier running backs. Love has a three-down skill-set and can thrive in any rushing scheme. He will be a player that will keep defensive coordinators up at night.
Final thoughts
I am much more open to selecting Jeremiyah Love than I would have expected. He is a home run swing. A luxury — but that luxury may transform you from a modest, middle-class offense to sipping wine and eating caviar on a private jet to the Hamptons. That’s the ceiling of Love.
The ceiling of Mauigoa is a 10-15-year starter on the offensive line; a tone-setter who helps the Giants build a foundation of physicality that will allow them to consistently compete for the playoffs, while fortifying one of the franchise’s most embarrassing liabilities over the past 15 years.
Mauigoa is more of a double than a home run, and I usually always swing for the fences. But the Giants’ current running back room and the reality of the running back position — and its level of surplus — leads me to select Mauigoa given this choice. If they pass on him at No. 5, the Giants could consider Mauigoa should he still be available at No. 10. Giants fans understand the importance of the offensive line. If the Giants want to get tough in the trenches, investments such as this are an excellent continuation of that ever-elusive goal.
