April 27, 2026, 9:02 a.m. ET
The New York Giants added a large weapon for star quarterback Jaxson Dart this weekend at the 2026 NFL draft in Pittsburgh.
New York selected Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields with the 74th overall pick in the third round. The Giants acquired the selection in a trade with the Cleveland Browns just moments before the pick was made, as Fields had reportedly been on head coach John Harbaugh’s radar leading up to the draft.
Fields recorded 630 yards and five touchdowns during his only season at Notre Dame last year. The route runner could quickly emerge as an excellent weapon in the Giants’ offense, having recorded just one drop on 62 targets in 2025.
Coach Harbaugh shared his thoughts on Fields’ style of play following the selection.
“I’d also say too, I heard what some of the commentary said, the 40 time is a concern for people, but when you do the miles per hour, which we get the (GPS) tracking now, that’s fast. He tracks a lot faster,” Harbaugh said. “He’s the equivalent of a mid-4.4 type 40 time. He’s running over 21 miles an hour consistently in games. He’s also got the ability to stop, drop his weight, change direction, get out of breaks. You see all that.”
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Harbaugh continued to highlight Fields’ persona, both on and off the gridiron.
“You look at one-on-one tapes from college and things like that, I think he’s kind of an underrated athlete as well. We’ll see when he gets here,” Harbaugh added. “We’ll all get a chance to look at him and see what he does. Plus, he’s an A-plus personality, A-plus character, A-plus worker. They love him at Notre Dame. Looking forward to getting him here.”
Fields officially ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February. He would undoubtedly have been a late first- or second-round selection if he had capitalized on his 40 time.
Fields spent five seasons in college, with his first four years at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame in 2025. The Giants gave up multiple draft picks to trade up for him, and the former Notre Dame star will look to showcase his talents throughout training camp this summer.
Fields is a talented receiver with solid top-end speed and athleticism despite a lackluster 40-yard dash time, and he could quickly emerge as a consistent target for Dart throughout the 2026-27 season.
