EAST RUTHERFORD - Malachi Fields just smirked at the mere mention of the play. Sure, the New York Giants rookie wide receiver was more than happy to talk about how he and quarterback Jaxson Dart connected for the most impressive touchdown of the preseason to this point. But that wasn't the one play Fields enjoyed making most Saturday afternoon in the Giants' exhibition loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Late in the third quarter, about an hour after Fields and Dart wowed MetLife Stadium with their off-script magic, Fields jogged onto the field with All-Pro punter Jordan Stout and the rest of the coverage team. He lined up slot right and immediately had flashbacks to his days as a safety for Monticello High School in Virginia. "If they're gonna put me in there on punt, I gotta go get a tackle," Fields said. "I haven't really tackled anybody since high school." Until Saturday's preseason game, of course, when Fields hustled downfield and tripped up Vikings returner Dontae Fleming, ultimately heading back to the Giants' sideline needing some help to put his shoulder pads back in his jersey following the play.
"He didn't play like a rookie out there. It was really fun to see.," Giants coach John Harbaugh said, praising Fields for his route running, his highlight-reel 15-yard touchdown catch, his precise blocking in the run game and yes, his special teams contribution. Then Harbaugh offered what will resonate as the next challenge for the 22-year-old. "Now, hey, keep getting better." To gain a true appreciation for what Harbaugh and the Giants saw in Fields, don't just turn on his highlight tape from last season at Notre Dame. Watch those for running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, his teammates selected in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by Arizona and Seattle, and Fields seemingly always found a way to command attention on theirs, too. Appreciating the true value of Malachi Fields' skill set "When scouts were falling in love with Love and Price, the smart ones were also taking notice of the guy wearing No. 0 doing the dirty work to help make those plays happen," an NFL personnel executive told NorthJersey.com and The Record this spring following the draft. "That's the value of Malachi Fields, the real ones see that." Fields' skill set is not limited to his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame or his willingness as a blocker, of course, but within an offense that expects to embody the physical identity Harbaugh wants to establish, that was believed to be his best chance to carve out an immediate role in the pros. His emergence this summer has revealed so much more. The Giants made an aggressive move in dealing their fourth- and fifth-round picks in addition to a fourth rounder in next year's draft to Cleveland for No. 74 in the third round, where they selected Fields. He brings a different profile to the offense for Dart and the passing game. His presence on the perimeter will be an asset with and without the football in his hands. Fields spent most of his college career at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame, and despite not having an offense built around a prolific passing game, he was still able to display talent that the Giants adore. He ran a 4.61 40 at the Combine, which likely cost him at least a round in terms of where he was going to be selected in Round 2. Dane Brugler, draft analyst for The Athletic, compared Fields and his talent to Michael Pittman, who has had a very good pro career in Indianapolis before he was traded to Pittsburgh this offseason. Physicality in all aspects is a mentality "I'll read the first line of my scouting report right here for you: Physical player and is able to apply that physicality to all aspects of the position - blocking, catching running routes, period," said CBS Sports analyst Emory Hunt, the owner and creator of the Football Gameplan. "That jumps out at you when you watch Malachi Fields, and it's a mentality." Hunt sees in Fields some of what former Saints star Marques Colston brought to New Orleans as a 2006 seventh-round pick who played 10 years in the league, establishing franchise records along the way as one of Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees' most trusted targets.
"You know what, this guy, you have to watch him play and you have to watch every snap," longtime football analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell said on the Ross Tucker Podcast. "You're dealing with a guy that's over 6-4 and 218, and let me tell you something, he catches everything. This guy has vice grip hands, he can snatch the ball away from his frame [with] elite body control. He can contort, he can catch in contested situations, he can high point the ball. I really like Malachi Fields, and I understand why he went where he went, only because of the 4.62, but to me, I think this guy can play in the league and I wouldn't be surprised with the Giants … if he gets meaningful snaps early." The Giants view Fields as someone who can produce from multiple wide receiver alignments; whether that's as a big slot or challenging defenses with a completely different route tree from the outside, there is a level of noticeable consistency in his game. "Consistency in the person, consistency in the approach," Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown said of Fields. "So just seeing high-level of consistency over multiple years gives you comfort of knowing what you are going to get Year 1, that it's going to be low start-up costs in terms of getting the player on the field and contributing for us." Providing the Giants with return on their investment is certainly motivation from jump. "They took a chance for me, trading up," Fields said. "I just want to prove them right."
Continuing to develop chemistry with Dart will go a long way in his push to emerge as the Giants' No. 2 receiver behind Malik Nabers. That was evident early in the second quarter when the Giants found the end zone for the first time of the Harbaugh era, albeit in a game that does not count in the standings. Facing immediate pressure on a second and long, Dart rolled to his left in the red zone and made Minnesota pay. Rising above the X's and O's While leaning to the sideline and leaping off only his right leg, Dart stole a page from the Patrick Mahomes playbook and, throwing against his body, he fired into the end zone. This was Dart at his best, rising above the X’s and O's as Tom Coughlin loved to preach, and his target showed a savviness well beyond his years both in age and experience. "I feel like he’s a player that regardless of what route that he’s on, just from his range and stature and his ability to have really good hands that he’s never really out of a play," Dart said of Fields. "And he loves the game. He competes through the whistle. You see that in the way that not only he runs his routes but also the way that he blocks, so I think he’s just been doing what he’s been doing, and I have a ton of faith in him. In making a strong push for the No. 2 receiver role behind star Malik Nabers, Fields isn't about to take his success for granted. The Giants are counting on that. "Well, I'm not going to make the assumption that he's going to get comfortable," Harbaugh said. "I don't think that's his personality at all. His personality is kind of exactly what you would want it to be. He's going to be even more determined to continue to improve. That's just who he is." This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: How Malachi Fields' value to Giants goes beyond catching the football