Even though the New York Giants are 1-0 to begin the season, fans began to compare the fairly milquetoast debut of wide receiver Malachi Fields with that of Miami Dolphins wide receiver Caleb Douglas. Some may already be looking at New York's trade up to select Fields and wondering if they got the superior player.
While Fields caught just two passes in the Giants' Sunday Night win against the Dallas Cowboys, Douglas appeared to be as locked in as any rookie wide receiver, catching five passes for 94 yards in Miami's loss against the Las Vegas Raiders. With such a dynamic debut for Douglas, some Giants may wonder if Fields was the right pick.
What Douglas did in Miami was impressive, especially after many called the selection a massive overreach, but with the role that Fields is being asked to play for this Giants team, fans may need to simmer down when comparing the two players. Douglas may be the beneficiary of some added volume that Fields just does not have.
New York Giants fans can't compare Malachi Fields to Caleb Douglas
The Dolphins, who are clearly looking toward the future, cheaped out on their wide receiver room, enabling Douglas to receive a greater target share. Right now, Douglas is like an NBA player who scores 20 points a game on a lousy team. Just based on the sheer number of opportunities, his counting stats will exceed those of better players.
Douglas, who was second on the team in targets behind Malik Washington, has the luxury of being able to gradually develop his game while playing on a Miami team that is all about player development. The Giants may not say it, but they are trying to compete for a playoff spot, and Fields won't be given that same developmental leash.
New York Giants wide receiver Malachi Fields is still a developmental prospect
Letting Fields go wild would be a disservice to both him and the offense as a whole. The Giants' passing game will be based around the exploits of Malik Nabers and scintillating tight end signing Isaiah Likely, relegating Fields to more of a complementary role than a featured one.
Who is Douglas competing with? A thoroughly average Malik Washington? Chris Bell as he works his way back from an ACL injury? Jalen Tolbert, who went from an intriguing offseason addition to a healthy scratch? No wonder he has more targets than Fields.
When Fields was starring at Virginia and Notre Dame, he was able to win on routes based purely on size and overall athleticism. It will take some time for him to get his feet under him at the professional level. Once defenses start to key in on Likely following his Sunday Night breakout, Fields will get the targets impatient fans want to see.
If Fields ends up playing a fairly important role on a Giants team that is in the playoff picture following years of ineptitude before John Harbaugh came around, that could be enough to validate the pick, even if the raw counting stats are inferior to what Douglas is putting up for a Miami squad going nowhere fast.
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