Giants draft a ‘power forward’ in WR Malachi Fields – Instant analysis

Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields makes a one-handed catch against Pittsburgh. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

We’ve heard for a while now that the New York Giants wanted to add a playmaker to their offense, however the board simply hadn’t been breaking their way. The Giants took matters into their own hands trading their fourth- ound (105th overall), fifth-round (145th overall), and 2027 fourth-round picks to trade into the 3rd round to select Malachi Fields out of Notre Dame.

Draft analysts were absolutely buzzing about Fields following the 2026 Panini Senior Bowl.

Recency bias was in full effect when Fields was talked about as a possible first round pick that week, however that doesn’t diminish the fact that he had an impressive week of practice. Fields is the type of player who won’t blow you away as an athlete, but is more than the sum of his parts on the field.

Fields is a big wide receiver at 6-foot 4⅝ inches, 220 pounds, who has impressive leaping ability (38-inch vertical leap) and body control. Fields is a slow receiver and runs just a 4.6-second 40-yard dash, however he was 31st in the nation in average depth of target and in the Top 100 in deep catches. Fields also has solid short-area quickness for a player of his size and is able to get in and out of his breaks well despite his overall athletic limitations.

• NY Giants NFL Draft: Why New York made a trade to get WR Malachi Fields

While Fields isn’t exactly a route technician, he knows how to find the soft spots in zone coverage as well as put his frame to use in press-man situations. He’s a very sure-handed receiver with just one drop (2.7% drop rate) this year and should be a very reliable possession receiver for as well as a real Red Zone weapon with his size and massive catch radius.