Francis Mauigoa failed to put his biggest draft concern to rest at the NFL combine

There’s no doubt that Francis Mauigoa can play at the next level. The former Miami right tackle was a first-team All-American in 2025 and one of the biggest reasons that the Hurricanes made their run to the national championship game. 

However, there is doubt about whether or not Mauigoa can stick at right tackle in the NFL. While he has the quickness, power, and explosiveness to stick at tackle, like Rueben Bain Jr., his arm length is a concern. Many evaluators have speculated that because of his shorter arms, Mauigoa could be forced to kick inside and play guard, and those concerns were confirmed on Sunday at the NFL Scouting Combine. 

Mauigoa measured in at 6-foot-5, 329 pounds, but with 33 ¼ inch arms. That’s a massive human being in just about any regard, but by NFL offensive tackle standards, that arm length is 18th percentile, and his wingspan is 26th percentile. 

Francis Mauigoa continues the week of underwhelming arm-length measurements

Bain’s arm length was the bigger topic of conversation heading into the week, and the edge rusher’s arms measured in at 30 ⅞ inches. That’s below the crucial 31-inch threshold for edge rushers and will likely push him down the draft board and out of the discussion for the New York Jets at No. 2 overall. 

Mauigoa’s measurements weren’t quite as damning, but they’ll still be a concern, especially coming off the Super Bowl when New England left tackle Will Campbell struggled mightily with the length of Seattle’s edge rushers. Campbell’s arms measured 32 ⅝ inches when he was coming out of LSU last year, but he still went No. 4 overall in a thin offensive tackle class.  

Mauigoa doesn’t have the luxury of being in a thin OT class. Georgia’s Monroe Freeling is shooting up boards to join Mauigoa and Utah’s Spencer Fano as potential top 10 picks. Regardless of whether or not Mauigoa is the best player of the bunch, the risk that he’ll eventually be forced inside hurts his value because guard is a much easier position to fill than tackle. 

To his credit, Mauigoa is unfazed by the potential move. During his media availability, he told reporters, “If guard is the way I get in the game, I’ll give it my all.” 

Mauigoa will find a way on the field in the NFL, but if teams view him as a guard, not a tackle, he may not find a way into the top 10 of the 2026 NFL Draft.