With the 74th pick in the 2026 NFL draft, the New York Giants selected wide receiver Malachi Fields out of Notre Dame. The Giants, of course, did not have a third-round pick, so they traded with the Cleveland Browns to land Fields.The Giants had a strong opening two rounds of the draft but entered Day 2 without a third-round selection after trading the pick away last year to move up and select quarterback Jaxson Dart.The team had been rumored to be looking for another weapon for Dart ahead of the second day of the draft, and they did just that by selecting Fields.Fields, a 6-foot-4, 218-pound receiver, caught 36 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns in 2025.
Over his college career at Virginia and Notre Dame, he totaled 165 receptions for 2,479 yards and 16 touchdowns.While the Giants certainly needed to bolster their wide receiver corps, they prioritized other positions with their first three picks. The decision to trade up for Fields has drawn mixed reviews.This is not your same ole Giants team…They’re having one of the best drafts in the league so far. ▪️Arvell Reese▪️Francis Mauigoa▪️Colton Hood▪️Malachi Fields— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) April 25, 2026John Harbaugh says that Malachi Fields is consistently running over 21 MPH in fields, per the GPS data, which is comparable to a 4.4 40-yard dash.
Fields ran a 4.61 at the NFL Combine. Not a concern for the #Giants. They believe his play speed is much faster.— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) April 25, 202674) NYG: Malachi Fields - WR/Notre DameFairly aggressive trade up for a wide receiver with a massive frame who gives the passing game a real Z receiver.
Excellent downfield ball tracker who can finish. Physical enough to factor as a blocker. 30% of his catches over the last two…— David Syvertsen (@Ourlads_Sy) April 25, 2026Damnit, I’m in pic.twitter.com/9kFJRTRcdj— Alex Wilson (@AlexWilsonESM) April 25, 2026GIANTS GOT A STUD pic.twitter.com/kZtD7BEOEW— Barstool New York (@BarstoolNYC) April 25, 2026Giants traded all that to take Malachi Fields? Lmao i remain thankful for that organization— Ethan🫐 (@SoftlyAugust) April 25, 2026Malachi Fields could star as the Giants' X-receiver opposite Malik Nabers 🔥(via @fantasysmyth) pic.twitter.com/er1LnNpyIv— Yahoo Fantasy Sports (@YahooFantasy) April 25, 2026The Giants passed on Christen Miller for Colten Hood then Chris McClellan for Malachi Fields.
Clearly they're telling us they aren't as worried about the DT situation as fans might be. I don't see any way out of the hole they've dug other than signing Reader AND Harris/Calais— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) April 25, 2026Giving up three draft picks for Malachi Fields feels like flawed process https://t.co/7awn1FAuxA— Jack Brentnall (@Jack_Brentnall) April 25, 2026Malachi Fields will have a chance to make an impact this year for the Giants. #FFHappyHour@LordDontLose@rotoworld_fbpic.twitter.com/IzXjdZdDt7— Matthew Berry (@MatthewBerryTMR) April 25, 2026There was an expectation the Giants would sign OBJ this Monday when the contract situations change and I think it was very likely to happen until a few minutes ago when they traded three picks to get Malachi Fields.
It's still possible but not sure if it's as likely. We'll see.— Dan Schneier (@DanSchneierNFL) April 25, 2026John Harbaugh paid a real price for Malachi Fields, but he’s got to do everything he can to support Jaxson Dart, especially with Nabers & Skatt coming off major injuries. Fields joins Mauigoa, Likely, Ricard as new large humans on Giants offense in Harbaugh’s drive to play big.— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) April 25, 2026Malachi Fields = unathletic Ramses Barden https://t.co/M9oGPZPhSj— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) April 25, 2026Giants trading up for Malachi Fields while stars fly off the board?
This is why the franchise is a joke. Enjoy watching Nabers get triple-covered while this guy drops passes.— 𝔸𝔹𝔻𝕌𝕃 🥷🙂↔️ (@web3_prince2) April 25, 2026I believe in Malachi Fields.— Nick Cattles (@NickCRadio) April 25, 2026Giants pick Malachi Fields!My notes:- Destroys at the catch point- Big and competitive- YAC dude- Lacks explosion/ long speedWas my #70 overall player. This is about where I thought he'd go. Good fit across Nabers— KSIXI (@KSIXI) April 25, 2026Malachi Fields’ 5.7% career drop rate is what excites us the most for Jaxson Dart and the #BigBlueMalachi Fields’ 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile:https://t.co/00EqpjzZHE— BrainyBallers (@BrainyBallers) April 25, 2026The homie Malachi Fields goes to the Giants - he and Nabers will be a nice paring— Nate Geary (@NateGearySports) April 25, 2026That seems like a really rich trade for Malachi Fields. https://t.co/QsHwkDs8Qe— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) April 25, 2026Scouting report on Fields:Malachi Fields profiles as a prototypical X receiver, offering an excellent blend of size, strength, athleticism, and ball skills.He shows impressive fluidity for a player of his build and consistently attacks the football in the air, making…— Nick