Francisco
Mauigoa.
Francisco
Mauigoa.
Miami (FL)· 6'2"· 233 lb· 4.60s 40
"Mauigoa plays every snap like the ball is a personal insult, and the four-year production sheet at Washington State and Miami reads exactly like the motor looks on tape."Pre-draft read
Mauigoa is a north-south linebacker. He triggers fast, he takes on blockers rather than avoiding them, and he finishes tackles with his feet still driving. The 33.5 career tackles for loss are not an accident — he is at his best attacking, whether that is filling the A-gap on a downhill run or coming off the edge as a designed blitzer, where 13 career sacks say the timing and the effort are real.
In coverage he is a liability in space. He drops to a spot rather than matching a route, and quicker backs beat him on option routes out of the backfield. His change of direction is adequate for a downhill player and insufficient for a three-down one, which is the whole evaluation in a sentence.
Downhill 3-4 or heavy-front defense that plays him as the MIKE on early downs and uses him as a pressure package linebacker on third down.
Year 1: early-down thumper and special teams core. Ceiling: quality two-down starter with 5-plus pressures per season as a blitzer.
Match-quarters defense that asks the linebacker to carry the tight end vertically and match backs out of the backfield every snap.
Every scheme decision with him is really a decision about who covers on third down.
Francisco Mauigoa 2024 Regular Season Highlights | Miami Linebacker
Francisco Mauigoa 2023 Regular Season Highlights | Miami LB
Francis Mauigoa 2024 Season Highlights💥| Miami Right Tackle | NFL Draft Film
Mauigoa started as a true freshman at Washington State, transferred to Miami, and never came off the field again — 51 games, 251 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and three interceptions. That is a full career of tape, and it is remarkably consistent from the first game to the last.
What he does well he does at an NFL level right now. He is 6-2 and 233 pounds with real functional strength, and he plays behind his pads through contact. Blitzing him is a legitimate weapon — his timing off the edge and through the A-gap produced more pressure than most off-ball linebackers in the class. Run fits are decisive and physical.
The ceiling is capped by the coverage. A 7.15 three-cone at his size is fine, not special, and it shows in his ability to open and run with anyone. He drops to grass, not to a receiver. In a league that plays 65 percent nickel, that makes him a two-down linebacker with sub-package blitz duty rather than a starter. That is a valuable player — it is just a fifth-round one, and the market priced him correctly.
- 01
Play Strength
This player exhibits elite play strength and contact balance against blockers.
- 02
High Production
He compiled 251 tackles, 33.5 TFLs, and 13 sacks over 51 games played.
- 03
Blitz Timing
Mauigoa possesses genuine blitz timing and provides pressure value from the second level.
- 04
Effort Level
His motor never dips, consistently chasing plays 30 yards downfield in the fourth quarter.
- 05
Experienced Starter
This player is an experienced two-conference starter at Washington State and Miami with no learning curve.
- 01
Coverage Flaw
Coverage is a significant flaw; his zone drops are soft, and match ability is limited.
- 02
Change of Direction
His change of direction is stiff, making it difficult to redirect against backs in open space.
- 03
Overpursuit Issue
Overpursuit frequently shows up on cutbacks and plays involving misdirection.
- 04
Athletic Testing
Athletic testing, including a 4.60 40-yard dash and 7.15 three-cone, confirms his tape rather than raising his ceiling.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.60sp50
- Vertical
- 35inp50
- Broad jump
- 121inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.15sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.24sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Washington State | 13 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | Washington State | 12 | 60 | 3.5 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | Miami | 13 | 78 | 7.5 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 2024 | Miami | 13 | 96 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Career | — | 51 | 251 | 13 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Mauigoa projects as a productive two-down linebacker with a knack for the blitz, mirroring Tranquill's impact as a physical, high-motor presence near the line of scrimmage.
Like Bolton, Mauigoa exhibits exceptional instincts against the run, consistently shedding blocks and making tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage, with similar blitzing upside.
While possessing a similar aggressive style and good blitzing ability, Mauigoa's lack of elite coverage skills or consistent pass-rushing moves could limit his impact, much like Pace.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
The Jets got a linebacker with a four-year production record in the fifth round, which is the kind of pick that fills a defensive depth chart cheaply.
His fall was entirely about coverage. Teams knew what they were getting on early downs — the tape leaves no ambiguity — and they also knew what happens when a slot receiver runs an option route in front of him.
Used as an early-down thumper and blitz specialist, he is a five-year contributor and a special teams captain type. Asked to play three downs, the third-down completions will pile up and those directing the defense will find out quickly. The pick is sound; the deployment is everything.