Alexander Wilson
Malachi Fields has a real chance to force his way into the Giants receiver mix. There are veterans ahead of him, but the back end of the room is not locked in.
A training camp debate already singled him out as the offensive player with the most to gain, and the Giants do not have many clean jobs up for grabs after Malik Nabers. Fields’ path is not easy, but there is a path.
Malachi Fields had 36 catches, 630 yards and five touchdowns at Notre Dame, and his size gives him a different profile from the smaller slot clutter behind Nabers.
Giants have room for a young receiver to push
The receiver group looks better on paper than it did a year ago. One NFC East grading exercise even placed the Giants second in the division, behind Dallas, with Nabers, Darnell Mooney, Darius Slayton, Odell Beckham Jr. and JuJu Smith-Schuster giving the room more name value.
Reputations do not settle camp. Beckham is trying to prove the comeback has legs, Slayton has lived through enough role changes already, and the back half of the receiver room can change fast.
Fields has the clean rookie argument because of his size and catch radius. He does not need to be the most polished route runner in July if he gives quarterbacks a big target outside the numbers and competes well enough as a blocker.
The Giants should let Fields earn snaps
I would not pencil Fields into anything yet. Rookies can look great in helmets and then disappear once the veterans start leaning on them.
Still, this is the kind of camp fight the Giants should want. If Fields pushes the bottom of the receiver room, that is good for the roster and gives the staff a reason to keep expanding his reps.
More about:New York Giants
