Giants got better on draft night, but the two most essential picks remain Harbaugh, Dart

AFC EastBillsDolphinsJetsPatriotsAFC NorthBengalsBrownsRavensSteelersAFC SouthColtsJaguarsTexansTitansAFC WestBroncosChargersChiefsRaidersNFC EastCommandersCowboysEaglesGiantsNFC NorthBearsLionsPackersVikingsNFC SouthBuccaneersFalconsPanthersSaintsNFC West49ersCardinalsRamsSeahawksScores & ScheduleStandingsFantasyNFL OddsNFL PicksNFL DraftPodcastsScoop City NewsletterNFL Draft UpdatesThe BeastConsensus RankingsTop 300 Rankings7-Round Draft Order2026 NFL Draft Arvell Reese of Ohio State walks on stage after being selected with the No. 5 pick by the Giants in Thursday night's NFL Draft. Emilee Chinn / Getty images Share articleEAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Francis Mauigoa was wearing a Giants cap, dark shades and a jacket that paid tribute to his American Samoa home when he stared into the ESPN camera and pledged his allegiance to Jaxson Dart. “I’m ready to die for you, man,” said the Miami offensive lineman and 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft. As demanding as his new coach, John Harbaugh, will be on the 2026 Giants, he won’t be requiring that level of sacrifice. Asked later about the comment, Mauigoa said of his fellow linemen, “That should be everybody’s mentality.” In other words, Dart is the one and only player who needs to be protected at all costs. The quarterback in professional football is the whole damn thing. You either have one or you don’t, and if you don’t, you will be picking near the top of the draft year after losing year. And that’s why it was no surprise that, after selecting Ohio State star Arvell Reese with the fifth pick, adding yet another pass-rushing threat to the defense, Harbaugh and general manager Joe Schoen did something kind for their second-year quarterback. Never mind that they had a second first-round pick because they traded away their best defensive player, Dexter Lawrence, who was sick and tired of all the Giants’ losing. The coach and GM were only going to do so much Thursday night for the more violent, less aesthetically pleasing side of the ball. Of course, Harbaugh and Schoen swore that they remained true to their scouting reports and that the 6-foot-5 1/2, 329-pound Mauigoa was selected because he joined Reese — their No. 1 non-quarterback prospect — among the top five talents on their draft board. It’s the kind of thing football people always say. A versatile defender who has the physical traits to become a dominant pass rusher. But as a matter of common sense, Harbaugh and Schoen wanted to draft an impact player to help the offense after drafting an impact player to help the defense. Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was an ultra-popular mock draft choice for the Giants at No. 5. Given the number of analysts certain that Harbaugh had fallen head over heels for Downs and saw him as his next Ed Reed or Kyle Hamilton, it was stunning that they passed on the safety a second time. At least until you recalled who benefited most from that decision. Dart. And, by extension, Harbaugh. If the coach with the Super Bowl trophy and 193 total NFL victories does not keep his quarterback healthy and develop him into a star, or at least a consistent winner, Harbaugh will have no chance to succeed in New York. He will be better than Brian Daboll, Joe Judge, Pat Shurmur and Ben McAdoo just by showing up for work on time. But his goal of making the playoffs in his rookie NFC East year and of ultimately winning a championship or two won’t be realized unless he follows Tom Coughlin’s lead and gets his own Eli Manning to the starting gate every single weekend. As a pure pocket passer, Manning made 222 consecutive starts, postseason included. His durability and availability allowed the Giants to win two Super Bowl titles and Manning to win two Super Bowl MVP awards. The far more athletic Dart flies around too much to make a run at any such streak. But as Dart matures and accepts the necessity (at times) to stay in the pocket, Harbaugh needs to put the right hulking bodyguards in front of him to keep him safe. A durable blocker whose best NFL role may be as a guard rather than right tackle. Mauigoa is expected to be one of those maulers. Chances are, he will start at right guard. Down the road, he will likely shift to right tackle. Harbaugh had called his offensive line a work in progress. So he worked on it, made progress, and now gives his most important player, Dart, a fighting chance in shotgun formation. The coach traded Lawrence, one of the best defensive linemen in the sport, for a rookie guard/tackle and came away smiling. “It’s pretty clear-cut that it’s a W for us,” Harbaugh said. He was practically giddy over the night’s developments, even if there are concerns around a Mauigoa back injury. Harbaugh said the Giants ran simulated drafts “a zillion times” and didn’t come up with the high-end first-rounders they ultimately landed. They could have traded out of the 10th pick for additional draft capital but refused to pass on the opportunity to add Mauigoa. “You couldn’t do any better,” Harbaugh said. Now the Miami lineman gets to play in the same market with his brother Kiko, a linebacker with the Jets. He gets to play for a 63-year-old leader whose style he appreciates. “John Harbaugh’s the man,” Mauigoa said. “I got to learn a lot about him and how he coaches, and it’s the type of coaching that I love. That hard, old-school type of coaching.” The Giants signed Harbaugh to a deal worth $100 million and change for that Coughlin-esque approach. He wants a big, physical defense that punishes quarterbacks and ballcarriers, and with the middle of the first round still unfolding, he was already dreaming up all the picks and stunts and games he can play with a circle of positionless pass rushers. “Me and Arvell Reese are going to come in, man, and we’re going to take that thing over and get this thing going,” Mauigoa said. “This is exciting,” added Harbaugh. For now, anyway. The Giants sure look like they got better on offense and defense, but everyone felt the same way four years ago when they picked Kayvon Thibodeaux and Evan Neal in the top 10 of the draft. This feels different because of the presence of the two most significant figures on the roster: Harbaugh and Dart. The head coach and the quarterback have to be great for this to work, for the New York Giants to become the New York Giants again. Otherwise, they’ll be back near the top of the draft again, talking about how lucky they were to land the college kids at the top of their board. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms