SOUTH BEND — Malachi Fields and Eli Raridon, two of the most physically imposing targets on the Notre Dame football offense last season, are headed to the Northeast.
The New York Giants took Fields, the Virginia graduate transfer, in the third round (74th overall) of the NFL Draft on Friday night, April 24. Twenty-one picks later, the New England Patriots took Raridon, the Irish tight end.
Fields is the first Irish wide receiver drafted since Northwestern transfer Ben Skowronek, a seventh-round pick in 2021. Chase Claypool, who went in the second round (49th overall) to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020, remains the highest-drafted Notre Dame wideout since Will Fuller went 21st overall in 2016.
Both Fields and Raridon recently announced they are expectant first-time fathers.
According to spotrac.com, Fields’ draft slot comes with an expected four-year contract value of $7.2 million, including a signing bonus of $1.7 million. Raridon’s draft slot comes with a total value of $6.7 million, including a $1.4 million signing bonus.
The Giants, building around quarterback Jaxson Dart and former LSU receiver Malik Nabers, gave up two extra picks (a 2026 fifth-rounder and a 2027 fourth-rounder) in a trade with the Cleveland Browns to move up 31 spots and secure Fields.
First-year Giants coach John Harbaugh, who called the trade “an aggressive move,” drafted another big-framed Notre Dame receiver, Miles Boykin, in the third round (93rd overall) in 2019 for the Baltimore Ravens.
Fields is listed at 6-foot-4 and 218 pounds. Boykin, who recently announced his retirement after playing parts of five seasons for the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers, played at 6-3 and 231 pounds.
“Malachi was a guy we had right at the top of our board from the beginning of the day,” Harbaugh told Giants reporters. “He wasn’t a guy we weren’t targeting. We were targeting him right out of the gates. … He’s a guy, honestly, we felt had for us maybe a second-round value.”
Giants general manager Joe Schoen, an Elkhart native, worked the phones to get back into draft position for Fields.
“We wanted the player and we got him,” Harbaugh said. “I thought it was a great get for us.”
The Giants also have former Irish boundary receiver Beaux Collins (6-3, 206) on their roster. The former Clemson graduate transfer appeared in the first nine games last season (two catches, 25 yards) after making the club as an undrafted free agent, but Collins missed the second half of the year with brain and neck injuries.
Notre Dame football transfer history in NFL Draft
Fields, who impressed scouts at the Senior Bowl, was the 10th wideout taken in this year’s draft. His 4.61 time in the 40-yard dash was the second-slowest among wide receivers who ran at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Five receivers were snatched up in Round 1 on Thursday night: Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Makai Lemon (USC), KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana).
On Day 2, four more receivers went ahead of Fields: second-rounders De’Zhaun Stribling (Mississippi), Denzel Boston (Washington) and Germie Bernard (Alabama); and third-rounder Antonio Williams (Clemson).
Before Fields’ selection, just four former transfers had been drafted out of Notre Dame since 2020: two in the sixth round and two in the seventh.
Navy transfer Alohi Gilman was the highest such selection for the Irish. He went 186th overall to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020 after playing two seasons at safety for Notre Dame.
Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard was a sixth-round pick (189th overall) of the Indianapolis Colts in 2025.
Fields’ catch radius and 165-reception career, including 36 grabs for 630 yards and five touchdowns, boosted his draft stock well above that of previous Irish transfer additions.
Drafted tight end streak continues for Notre Dame football
Raridon’s selection capped a surprisingly early run on tight ends.
Six tight ends were taken in a 21-pick span on Friday night after just one tight end, Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq (16th overall), was drafted in the first 53 picks. A strong blocker as well at 6-6 and 245 pounds, Raridon becomes the 13th consecutive primary starting tight end for Notre Dame to be drafted.
The streak goes back more than two decades to 2006 draftee Anthony Fasano, who became a Notre Dame starter in 2004. Raridon, the ninth tight end off the board this year, is the highest-draft Irish tight end since Michael Mayer went 35th overall in 2023.
The Patriots, with young quarterback Drake Maye at the helm, are coming off a Super Bowl appearance in February. Maye narrowly lost out in the NFL MVP voting to Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
“He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” Raridon said on conference call with Patriots reporters. “I’m really excited to play with him. I’m pumped.”
Raridon joins 10-year veteran tight end Hunter Henry, who averaged 63 catches over the past two seasons and has nearly 5,300 receiving yards in his career.
Raridon, who has overcome a pair of ACL tears, said he hasn’t studied Henry’s game in detail but does “know he’s a great player, great person.”
Added Raridon: “I’ve heard great things about him. I’m really excited to learn under him.”
A Des Moines, Iowa product whose father, Scott, was a long snapper for the Irish, Raridon had 48 career receptions for 623 yards.
Both star running backs for Notre Dame, Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, became first-round picks on Thursday night. Love went third to the Arizona Cardinals, while Price landed with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks at No. 32.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football’s Malachi Fields, Eli Raridon taken in third round
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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