There are several dynamic wide receivers in the 2026 NFL draft class that the New York Giants could have selected to pair with Malik Nabers and Jaxson Dart, but they wanted one in particular. One that few saw them willing to pay a high price for on the second night of the draft.
Notre Dame’s Malachi Fields.
After moving up to pick No. 74 to take Fields on Friday night, Giants general manager Joe Schoen appeared to be confident that he and new head coach John Harbaugh just pulled off a major coup. They have been eyeing Field since the Senior Bowl, even though neither of them was in attendance.
“Best receiver down there was the reports back,” said Schoen. “Coach and I were here that week, but we obviously got to go through the film and watch the one-on-ones, the practices, and the games. He had a phenomenal week down there for sure.”
The film on Fields is impressive. In many clips, the 6-foot-4, 220-pounder looks like a man among boys. Some social media posts were comparing him to Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson and former Giant hero Plaxico Burress.
“Fields is a player we coveted coming into the draft. As things started to fall and he was still there, and some of the receivers went already, an opportunity to go get him,” Schoen told reporters.
“We thought the value was — we were fine with the value, and we were able to secure the player we wanted at a position we wanted to upgrade, not only the size, length, athleticism, another phenomenal kid that will come in and be a really good addition for us.”
Schoen could be right. The Giants have been building their roster over the past two years with useful players. They bolstered their wide receiver room with veterans Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III to mix in with Nabers and Darius Slayton, but they needed a bigger mismatch guy. Enter Fields.
“He’s certainly a different body type than we currently have,” said Schoen. “Adding that was something we had talked about doing. We weren’t going to force it unless the value was at the right spot. Obviously, being 6-foot-4 and a half, 218 pounds, and the catch radius and athleticism that he displays was attractive.”
The trade-up for Fields could end up being a historical moment for the Giants.
This article originally appeared on Giants Wire: New York Giants’ Joe Schoen: ‘Malachi Fields is a player we coveted’
Reporting by John Fennelly, Giants Wire / Giants Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
