By admin 
The New York Giants surrounded Malik Nabers with a hodgepodge of undersized, journeyman, so-so talents, including a bevy of veterans who may be past their primes.
Read more Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez Receives Career News Before All-Star Game
But if Malachi Fields is the player the Giants think he is, their wide receiver corps actually looks really good.
Fields, the Giants’ third-round draft pick, is supposed to learn and grow in Year 1 in the NFL. But his on-field production could be the difference between the Giants’ passing game being good or below average, especially with Nabers still recovering from a devastating ACL/meniscus tear from last year.
The Giants Need Malachi Fields to be Their WR2 as Soon as Possible
The Giants are saying all the right things about Fields. They are tempering expectations, since he was a third-round pick and the 10th wideout chosen at the draft in April.
Still, the Giants need weapons in the passing game, after ranking 21st in the league in air-yards per game (204.4). Plus, the roster is begging Fields to take the reins as their No. 2 outside threat opposite Nabers.
Odell Beckham Jr., though likely assured a roster spot, hasn’t had a catch in almost two years. Darnell Mooney has topped 950 yards twice in seven NFL seasons. Calvin Austin III is 5-9 and basically a slot receiver.
So there’s a reason the Giants traded up to take Fields with the No. 74 pick on Day 2.
Nabers can be both a big-play threat and a possession receiver — proven by his franchise-record 109 catches in 2024. But ideally Fields, who is 6-4 and 218 pounds, would take some of the onus off him in the intermediate routes, which would free up better deep matchups for Nabers when he’s healthy.
Read more Pro baseball: Soledad’s Segura chosen by the White Sox
“Fields is a long, big-bodied receiver,” Scouts Inc. wrote about him after the draft. “Though he’s not a vertical threat, he has dynamic traits and backed it up with good testing numbers at the combine.
“Fields does a good job of not telegraphing his routes, though he did not run the largest route tree. He plays strong through contact, and he provides a big catch radius.”
What to Expect from Malachi Fields
The best-case scenario is Fields is their WR2 for the next decade — an Amani Toomer-type — but the Giants have seen the worst-case scenario play out over and over with draft-bust wide receivers.
Jalin Hyatt’s career had huge potential but has quickly died. Ramses Barden was 6-6 but had just 29 catches in four seasons. Don’t even mention the name Kadarius Toney around these parts.
Giants fans can hope Fields will be better than them, though Dan Duggan of The Athletic set realistic expectations for the Notre Dame-drafted receiver in Year 1.
“There have been 17 wide receivers picked in the third round of the past three drafts,” Duggan wrote. “Excluding Pittsburgh’s Roman Wilson, who only appeared in one game as a rookie, the 16 receivers picked in the past three third rounds averaged 21 catches for 309.1 yards and 2.2 touchdowns as rookies.”
Read more Tigers Make Framber Valdez Announcement After Unfortunate Personal News
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published July 12, 2026 at 11:38 AM.