Through no fault of his own, the New York Giants have made it incredibly easy to forget about rookie receiver Malachi Fields.
The Giants selected Fields, a Notre Dame standout, in April amid the ongoing Odell Beckham Jr. reunion rumors. Then, we began hearing about Malik Nabers working through setbacks while recovering from knee surgery.
Only weeks after drafting Fields, the Giants signed three veteran receivers: Beckham, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Braxton Berrios.
None of this is to say that the 6-foot-4, 218-pound Fields won’t contribute as a rookie, especially if Nabers can’t go in Week 1. However, as Bleacher Report just proved, there’s no denying that Fields lacks the buzz that other Day 2 picks leaguewide are receiving.
Giants rookie Malachi Fields is going unnoticed before training camp
As much as national media outlets have missed the mark on the Giants this offseason, Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski omitting Fields from a list of rookies to watch in training camp isn’t even the least bit egregious.
Sobleski named six rookies whom he believes have the “most to gain” over the coming weeks, whether they’re a first-round pick (Panthers offensive tackle Monroe Freeling) or, in the case of Raiders cornerback Jermod McCoy, an immensely talented prospect who fell to Day 3.
In reality, Fields might not even be among the top three or four Giants receivers who need to prove themselves this summer.
Beckham needs to justify the Giants bringing him home, even if he’s only on a minimum contract. Darnell Mooney and Calvin Austin III joined the Giants on one-year deals this offseason, and Mooney previously impressed in Matt Nagy’s offense when the two were together in Chicago.
I’ll even throw Darius Slayton into the mix, seeing as he missed offseason workouts while recovering from sports hernia surgery. Slayton, who is the longest-tenured Giant, could open this year as the No. 1 receiver depending on Nabers’ health.
Where does all of that leave Fields? We didn’t hear a ton about him during OTAs, and an optimist might take the “no news is good news” approach. But it’s telling that Fields seemingly didn’t stand out in a veteran-heavy receivers room.
Barring injury, we’ll likely see plenty of Fields during the preseason. There is no reason for the Giants to put the likes of Slayton, Mooney, and Austin at risk of injury, and it’s unclear how many snaps the 33-year-old Beckham will get during exhibition play.
Because the Giants took him in the third round, Fields is almost guaranteed a spot on the Week 1 roster. The question is whether he can use the three-game preseason slate to prove he deserves to factor into the regular-season offense.
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