What Francisco Mauigoa Brings to the New York Jets Defense
The New York Jets found more defensive depth on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft. They selected Miami linebacker Francisco Mauigoa with the No. 162 overall pick. The Jets hit it out of the park with their first two picks, landing Armand Membou and Mason Taylor in the first and second rounds, respectively. They followed this up with Azareye’h Thomas in the third round to bolster the Jets’ cornerback room.
The Jets found their third pick of Day 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft in Miami’s Mauigoa. Mauigoa, a native of American Samoa, spent two years at Washington State before transferring to Miami, where he eventually reunited with his former college teammate with now No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. So, here’s how linebacker Francisco Mauigoa fits into the NY Jets defense.
What Francisco Mauigoa Brings to the New York Jets Defense
Mauigoa is known for his football instincts, his downhill speed, and leadership. Mauigoa projects as an immediate special-teams contributor for the Jets while providing some great depth at linebacker. This was the Jets’ second consecutive defensive selection as they traded up earlier in the day to land the safety from Alabama, Malachi Moore.
Mauigoa has experience at Miami as their defensive signal-caller. His aggressive mentality should make him a strong addition to the team’s special-teams unit right away. However, there could still be a bigger opportunity from Mauigoa down the line. He is a two-time All-ACC selection, a team captain, and above all else, an outstanding athlete. He needs to clean up his missed tackles and improve in pass coverage to become a consistent defensive contributor, but his upside is very high.
Quincy Williams is entering the final year of his contract and has been one of the biggest subjects of trade rumors for the Jets this offseason. Williams is set to turn 29 before Week 1, and Jamien Sherwood is already locked in as a future piece. Mauigoa could eventually compete for a larger defensive role if he develops well under the Jets’ new coaching staff. New head coach, Aaron Glenn, has a great eye for defense, and Mauigoa could develop quite nicely under Glenn and the new regime.
At the very least, Mauigoa’s role could see him have a chance to earn playing time early in his career as the Jets’ third linebacker. Behind Williams and Sherwood, the Jets depth at linebacker is very lackluster. Their only other rostered linebackers are Zaire Barnes, Marcelino McCrary-Ball, and Jamin Davis, who will more than likely be his only real competition.
Simply put, the Jets are betting on Mauigoa’s athleticism, his great football instincts, and his high football character as the foundation of a future role. At the very worst, he should be an immediate special-teams impact player. At the very best, he could develop into a valuable linebacker for years to come with the Jets. Overall, this was a great pick for the Jets to make on Day 3.