Hurricanes have three first-round NFL draft picks for first time since 2007
Mario Cristobal couldn’t help but smile. He made a priority of building the Miami Hurricanes’ roster from the lines of scrimmage outward on his journey to get UM back to national contender status.
And three players who served as shining examples of the Hurricanes’ focus on success in the trenches were on full display Thursday when they were taken in the first round of the 2026 NFL draft.
Offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa went No. 10 to the New York Giants, while defensive linemen Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor respectively went No. 15 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and No. 22 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
It’s the first time Miami has had three players selected in the first round of the draft in the same year since 2007, when safety Brandon Meriweather (No. 24, New England Patriots), linebacker Jon Beason (No. 25, Carolina Panthers) and tight end Greg Olsen (No. 31, Chicago Bears) were all selected in the opening round.
“I think that overall, as a program, we have a very unique way of approaching development in the trenches,” Cristobal said on ESPN from Pittsburgh about two hours before the draft. “And as the years go by, we feel like we’re becoming that school, that university, that develops those positions at a higher level than anyone else.”
Mauigoa, a native of American Samoa who starred at IMG Academy in Bradenton before enrolling at UM, started all 42 career games at Miami at right tackle. He logged 2,814 snaps over his three years. He capped his college career as a consensus first-team All-American after a 2025 season in which he anchored Miami’s offensive line on the team’s way to the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
He allowed only eight sacks over 1,611 pass-blocking snaps while with the Hurricanes, including just two in 557 pass-blocking snaps as a junior. His pass-blocking grade of 87 last season according to Pro Football Focus ranked sixth among tackles with at least 300 pass-blocking snaps.
“It’s the growth, man,” Mauigoa said after the title-game loss to Indiana. “I came a long way with coach Cristobal and [offensive line] coach [Alex] Mirabal. I thank the Lord that I made this decision to come here to Miami to get to experience the culture and the tradition here.”
Bain, a former standout at Miami Central High before playing for the Hurricanes, finished his Miami career with 121 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 20.5 sacks. He was a consensus first-team All-American as a junior after logging 54 tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss and nine-and-a-half sacks while leading the nation with 83 quarterback pressures according to Pro Football Focus.
He has a needed blend of violence and technique with his approach at the line of scrimmage and knows how to use his leverage in battles with offensive linemen.
“I put so much work into this,” Bain said at Miami’s Pro Day. “Staying after practice, being early to practice, getting everything done. Giving my all to football, because I know football gave it’s all to me. I’m just ready for the moment.”
As for Mesidor, his path to the NFL and a meteoric rise to first-round pick was a long and winding one. He was sparsely recruited out of Ottawa, Canada despite his efforts to get his name out there. Leaving his native Ottawa for high school in Florida for a better chance to get noticed. Six years of college at two schools, including one year lost to injury and a couple playing out of position for the betterment of his team.
But everything came together for him in 2025, when he had 17.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 67 quarterback pressures and four forced fumbles.
“Back to work,” Mesidor said. “The work never stops. I’ll still be working my butt off after my name gets called, working my butt off even more until I earn the right to play in the league.”
That’s the mentality instilled in the top players the Hurricanes have churned out under Cristobal. Never complacent. Never satisfied. Never feeling like they’ve achieved everything they need to achieve.
“All that hard work has been validated and promises fulfilled,” Cristobal said from the draft. “We had an agreement three and four years ago that we were going to work, we were going to win at a high level, that we were going to graduate, and then we were going to end up right here in the green room. And so today, the day belongs to them. We’re here to support them and have them in just take it all in and have fun.”
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