In the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Giants added a pair of offensive linemen.
New York's first offensive lineman taken was former Miami Hurricanes tackle Francis Mauigoa, whom the team selected with the first-round draft pick they got in return during the Dexter Lawrence trade. Maugioa is expected to start at right guard during his rookie season.
Meanwhile, J.C. Davis carries a different set of expectations as he was drafted in the sixth round. Davis is expected to serve as a backup offensive tackle this season.
A sixth-round offensive lineman panning out is a rare occurrence in the NFL and would definitely be a positive development. Such was the case with a 2015 seventh-round pick who has continued his career and has now joined last year's Super Bowl champions.
The Seattle Seahawks announced they had signed former New York Giants tackle Bobby Hart to their practice squad.
Seahawks senior writer John Boyle wrote: "Hart, who came into the league as a seventh-round pick in 2015, signed with the Seahawks in June, and saw significant playing time in all three of Seattle's preseason games. He was released on Sunday when the Seahawks reduced the roster to 53 players. Hart has appeared in 108 games with 75 starts in his career, spending time with the Giants, Bengals, Titans , Bills and Chargers."
After being drafted by the Giants in 2015, Hart appeared in 33 games and started 21 games. Hart was released one game before the end of the 2017 season. His tenure with the team ended badly as the Giants felt that Hart quit on the team and showed no interest in playing in the regular season finale for New York. This came after the tackle was benched.
Following his Giants tenure, Hart had a successful time with the Cincinnati Bengals , who after a one-year prove-it deal signed him to a three-year, $16 million contract.
In all, the former Giants seventh-round pick has appeared in 108 games and totaled over $19 million in career earnings, according to Spotrac.
Most recently, Hart started eight games for the Los Angeles Chargers last season. Hart earned a 50.2 overall Pro Football Focus grade in the 2025 season, 82nd among 89 qualified offensive tackles.
Despite the Giants front office being much different from when Hart was a member of the team, his declining play and how his time ended likely made a potential reunion difficult.
Hopefully, Davis and Mauigoa can prove to be long-term players for New York unlike Hart. Maugioa in particular is expected to provide a boost to the Giants' offensive line, which was ranked 23rd by Pro Football Focus' Gordon McGuinness. McGuinness wrote: "Andrew Thomas was arguably the Giants' best player last year, earning a 90.3 PFF grade that tied his career high. His issue has been staying healthy, having missed significant time in both 2023 and 2024. They drafted Francis Mauigoa in the first round, and if he can hit the ground running, then the unit looks a lot stronger, but it's a group that just might be another season away from making a bigger impact."
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