Former UVA WR and Charlottesville native Malachi Fields turns heads in preseason debut

One of the most successful Virginia wide receivers over the past three to four seasons has been Charlottesville native and Monticello HS grad Malachi Fields. Though he unfortunately transferred to Notre Dame for his final collegiate season, he'll always be a huge fan favorite for the UVA faithful.

Fields was one of the only Cavaliers to start all 12 games in the 2024 season, and he was incredibly productive for the Virginia offense as a redshirt sophomore and junior. He totaled at least 55 catches, 800 receiving yards, and 5 touchdowns in each of his two seasons as a full-time starter at "X" for Tony Elliott and Co. since 2023.

The Giants may have found a gem in the 3rd round

After impressing at Notre Dame last season, he was selected in the third round by the New York Giants in the 2026 NFL Draft, and he's been skyrocketing up the depth chart over the past few months. Heading into his first preseason game yesterday, he was at least projected to have a significant role in the offense going forward, and his performance most likely solidified that prediction.

Fields reeled in 3 passes for 34 yards and one beautiful touchdown catch against the Vikings on Saturday, looking like a legitimate weapon in his first real NFL game action.

Money Malachi! 🔶⚔️🔷 #Virginia #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/BWEycwKUBQ
— Matt Wilson (@CoachWilson66) August 15, 2026

He showed off his top-notch ball skills and IQ on his first reception of the day, which happened to be a toe-tapping touchdown catch over a Minnesota defender by a scrambling Jaxson Dart. Fields recognized that the play broke down and immediately began to fade back into the end zone, providing a huge scoring target (6'4", 210 lbs.) for Dart. Needless to say, Fields "mossed" his defender and scored his first professional touchdown.

His next catch was on a nice comeback route, where he managed to drag defenders an extra three to four yards for a first down. Despite being a big receiver with longer legs, he possesses excellent short-area quickness and can be effective in the short-to-intermediate levels of the field as well.

Fields' last catch of the matchup before heading to the sideline for the rest of the game was on an in-breaker against off coverage for a seven-yard gain. He actually made a nice adjustment to the ball because it was low and inside rather than where it should've been.

Overall, it was a superb professional debut for the former Hoo, and Malachi undoubtedly has a bright future in the league. Though he has established players like Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, and Calvin Austin technically ahead of him on New York's depth chart, there's a very good chance Fields unseats one of those guys during his rookie season. Especially on the boundary, where his skill set could be utilized best in Matt Nagy and Brian Callahan's passing offense.

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