The Miami Hurricanes are finally starting to come off the board again on Saturday in the 2025 NFL Draft.
First on Saturday was OL Jalen Rivers going to the Cincinnati Bengals with the 153rd overall pick. Now, the run is on, with Kiko Mauigoa being selected by the New York Jets with the 162nd overall pick.
I’ll admit that I wasn’t sure if Mauigoa was going to hear his name called in the draft this early, as I felt he was going to go closer to the very end of the draft. But he’s a physical player who at least matches the DNA of the tough New York Jets defense.
Mauigoa proved to be a tackling machine during his college career and capped it off with a near-100 tackle campaign in 2024, totaling 96 combined tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, and an interception. Cam Ward’s teammate at both Washington and Miami does a great job commanding the center of the defense as a field general before snaps and during the plays at working through the roughage in the middle of the field. He doesn’t have the top tier traits to be an early round pick but he has the right mentality (Miami captain) and toughness to earn a roster spot.
Mauigoa can work on his missed tackles and some coverage issues to earn defensive snaps, but his instincts, and ability to chase down ball carriers with a leadership mentality are traits that will endear him to NFL coaching. He also adds special teams capabilities worthy of making a roster.
Congrats to Kiko, and best of luck in the Big Apple!