It's difficult to complain about the draft haul the New York Giants received this year. From linebacker Arvell Reese and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa in the first round, to Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood in the second round. The Giants were seemingly done for the night, but they were able to get into the third round, thanks to some help from Harbaugh's old colleague and current Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken. In fact, it was used to address a position of need.
On Friday night, the Giants acquired the 74th overall pick from the Browns. The Giants then used that pick on Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields, a large pass-catcher that they needed. The issue is, the trade didn't come at a cheap price.
The Giants gave up their No. 105 and 145 picks this year, and their 2027 fourth-round pick in exchange for the No. 74 selection to draft Fields.
The Giants have traded up to pick 74 with the Browns, who receive picks 105 and 145 along with a 2027 4th round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 25, 2026
Giants give a haul of draft picks to Cleveland Browns to select Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields in Round 3
Look, the Giants needed to add to their wide receiver depth behind Malik Nabers, Darnell Mooney, and Calvin Austin III. While it's entirely possible that the team could reunite with Odell Beckham Jr., leaving the draft without a wideout wouldn't be great.
The Giants and Browns had a connection. When Harbaugh was hired as the head coach of the Giants, his plan was to bring along Monken, who had been the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens the previous three seasons. That was the plan, until the Browns offered Monken the head coaching job, which he accepted.
Now the two parties negotiated a trade. The Giants moved into the third round to draft Fields, while giving up their fourth and fifth round picks this year, and their fourth round pick next year. It's a costly trade for the Giants, as they now just have five picks in the 2027 NFL Draft, which is viewed as the better class than this years. But Fields was the wide receiver Harbaugh coveted.
While speaking with reporters, Harbaugh revealed that they had Fields at the top of their board at the start of the second round. Considering he fell all the way down to the third round, the Giants were motivated to move up to go get him.
Fields is a tall pass-catcher, standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 218 pounds. This gives quarterback Jaxson Dart a big target in the end zone and a fast pass-catcher. Harbaugh said that he measured Fields consistently running over 21 miles per hour. This past season with Notre Dame, Fields caught 36 passes for 630 yards and five touchdowns. In the prior two seasons while playing for the Virginia Cavaliers, Fields had over 800 receiving yards in each. The Giants will certainly sign up for that production.
Giants fans have to feel better about their receiving corps now than they did entering the NFL Draft. They bring in who they hope can be a game-changer in Fields. But to do so, they had to give up a pretty big haul to do so.
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