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EAST RUTHERFORD - To gain a true appreciation for what the New York Giants see in Malachi Fields, don't just turn on his highlight tape from last season at Notre Dame.
Watch those for recent first-round running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price and it's undeniable.
"When NFL 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. "That's the value of Malachi Fields the real ones see."
Fields' skill set is not limited to his blocking prowess, of course, but within an offense that expects to embody the physical identity John Harbaugh wants to establish, that will likely be his best chance to carve out an immediate role in the pros.
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.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder 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.
"I definitely think I was someone who always wanted to be a part of going and getting a block, covering up a guy in the backfield," Fields said. "Those dudes do the same thing in pass protection. They pick up the blitzing linebackers and stick their nose in there. I can only return the favor when they have the ball in their hands."
Fields, 22, spent most of his college career at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame, and despite not having an offense build 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.
"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.
The Giants hope Malik Nabers is on the field and ready to go for Week 1, but it's an uncertain timetable as he recovers from knee surgery that included ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair. Darius Slayton is out until training camp after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia. A rehabbing Cam Skattebo is still working his way back from the dislocated ankle that ended his rookie season.
Tight ends Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson were Jaxson Dart's most impressive targets in the OTA (offseason team activity) session open to the media last Thursday. Newcomers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin will get chances, but neither has a defined role just yet.
There is reason to believe the Giants should bring Odell Beckham Jr. back as a lottery ticket of sorts, as the two sides have been flirting about a reunion for the past month-plus. Even if that happens, Fields is a different athletic profile and his opportunity to ascend the depth chart is legitimate.
"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."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Malachi Fields: Undeniable reason NY Giants can count on rookie WR
Continue reading...
Watch those for recent first-round running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price and it's undeniable.
"When NFL 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. "That's the value of Malachi Fields the real ones see."
Fields' skill set is not limited to his blocking prowess, of course, but within an offense that expects to embody the physical identity John Harbaugh wants to establish, that will likely be his best chance to carve out an immediate role in the pros.
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.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder 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.
"I definitely think I was someone who always wanted to be a part of going and getting a block, covering up a guy in the backfield," Fields said. "Those dudes do the same thing in pass protection. They pick up the blitzing linebackers and stick their nose in there. I can only return the favor when they have the ball in their hands."
Fields, 22, spent most of his college career at Virginia before transferring to Notre Dame, and despite not having an offense build 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.
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"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.
The Giants hope Malik Nabers is on the field and ready to go for Week 1, but it's an uncertain timetable as he recovers from knee surgery that included ACL reconstruction and a meniscus repair. Darius Slayton is out until training camp after undergoing surgery to repair a sports hernia. A rehabbing Cam Skattebo is still working his way back from the dislocated ankle that ended his rookie season.
Tight ends Isaiah Likely and Theo Johnson were Jaxson Dart's most impressive targets in the OTA (offseason team activity) session open to the media last Thursday. Newcomers Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin will get chances, but neither has a defined role just yet.
There is reason to believe the Giants should bring Odell Beckham Jr. back as a lottery ticket of sorts, as the two sides have been flirting about a reunion for the past month-plus. Even if that happens, Fields is a different athletic profile and his opportunity to ascend the depth chart is legitimate.
"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."
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Malachi Fields: Undeniable reason NY Giants can count on rookie WR
Continue reading...
