The whirlwind of the draft had kept Francis Mauigoa off social media so it was news to him when one of the more famous Miami (Fla.) football players — The Rock — had  reached out to you to congratulate him

“I haven’t checked social media yet. It’s kind of hectic,” said Mauigoa when he visited the Giants headquarters the day after being drafted. “The Rock has been someone that I look forward to meeting my whole life. He’s one of those idols that we see on TV with movies, WWE. Whatever he does, he represents the Samoan culture. That’s something that I like to do and take pride in it. That’s somebody that I look up to. So for him to notice me, that means a lot.”

The 20-year-old was the second of two first round picks for the Giants on Thursday who went viral for saying he was “”ready to die for” for his new quarterback, Jaxson Dart. Mauigoa met the second year pro for the first time at the team’s facility on Friday.

“Yeah, he was pumped about it. He was juiced about it. He just told me about it,” said Mauigoa. “I’m really excited to get it going with him, to block my ass off for him and get him to make plays.

“He’s so down to earth, humble kid who loves fishing. I can’t wait to get out on the water with him someday.”

‘Hungry for a spot’

The 6-foot-5, 330-pound native of American Samoa is widely expected to kick inside to right guard after playing tackle last year. Mauigoa had been cross-training since the combine in the possibility of a position change, noting the biggest challenge is the different techniques than tackle.

“Just making myself valuable, if you learn all five positions,” he said. “I’m hungry for a spot. So it’s not fair for me to just practice one spot if I’m hungry for anything. I just to be an offensive linemen and I feel confident in my skills. I’m ready to learn a lot more.”

Mauigoa revealed that he had been working with a former Giant— Jon Feliciano— to make the transition. The advice that Feliciano has given him is “pretty simple. Tackle, you’ve got a lot of space you’ve got to cover. Guard, you’ve got minimum space. If anything, he said guard would be easier. So just ready to work at it.”

Since being drafted, Mauigoa noted that Jermaine Eluemunor reached out to him. “I’m really excited to be working with him,” he said. “He’s a right tackle. They want me to play right guard. We’re out here to move people, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The physical nature was the trade mark of John Harbaugh’s teams when he coached the Ravens.

“That type of style of play kind of comes up with John Harbaugh and how he teaches things,” said Mauigoa. “I see him as an old school type of coach, and that’s how I like things to be, just hard, gritty, run through somebody, no cut corners.”

Arvell Reese scouting report

Mauigoa provided a scouting report on his news teammate, Arvell Reese, whom he faced in the NCAA playoff game this year, calling him “one of the cats that can do it all.”

“When I was watching his film, he was one of the best rushers that came off on the film,” said Mauigoa. “He’s also one of the best defenders that can cover people up, make plays downhill, and stuff like that. So (he) was kind of the key player that we had to look for during the game.

“I know he don’t smile much, but he’s really cool behind the scenes. I know he explained something about holding a grudge against us, Miami versus Ohio State, but what’s in the past is in the past. Now we’re New York Giants, ready to move on from it.”

Family affair

Mauigoa’s brother, Kiko, plays for the New York Jets and while they haven’t talked about it yet, he expects to move in with him. But he was not ready to commit to stayingwith his brother just yet.

“If anything, I wanted to stay closer over here, so 10, 15 minutes away, that’s my spot. But it’s up to him,” he said.

For the Mauigoa boys, it was a dream to play in the NFL that started when he was a freshman at in California where “they were just kids that were hungry for it.”

“Then we got to a point where we understand that we’re actually good at something and we can continue forward with it. We started pushing for greatness, and that’s been our goal ever since,” he said.

For Mauigoa, his main thought when his name was called and being drafted in the first round was that he was glad to share with his family.

“When I got my name called, it was kind of a blessing, but also just kind of thankful for that moment because all the hard work my parents have put in for me to be at this situation,” he said. “It’s something that I’ve always wanted to give back to them. To be able to experience that moment with them means a lot to me.”