Malachi Fields entered the offseason looking like he would be lucky if he got drafted this spring. After a sensational offseason, including showing out at the Senior Bowl, the former Notre Dame wide receiver has surged into the first round in NFL.com's latest mock draft.
Daniel Jeremiah put together his NFL Mock Draft 2.0 on Tuesday morning, and while some analysts think Fields could sneak into the first round, this mock has the wideout safely getting picked on the first day.
Jeremiah now believes the Notre Dame star will go No. 26 to the Buffalo Bills. "The Bills add a player with a wide catch radius to complement Khalil Shakir at receiver. Fields was excellent all week long at the Senior Bowl."
Notre Dame football sees Malachi Fields rise into a first‑day draft projection
That catch radius has been something quite a few scouts have talked about over the offseason. To some, it's been a surprise, which makes sense considering he played his final season in college with a team that relied heavily on the run game. Still, Fields finished second on the Fighting Irish in catches with 36 for 630 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Fields has also established himself as a consistent threat in the passing game. Before coming to Notre Dame, he posted near identical receiving numbers in 2023 and 2024 for the Virginia Cavaliers (58 rec, 811 yds, 5 TDs and 55 rec, 808 yds, 5 TDS).
Fields jumping into the first round also gives Notre Dame two first-day selections should Jeremiah's prediction come true. He joins Jeremiyah Love (long projected to be a first-rounder), who the analyst has going No. 9 to the Kansas City Chiefs.