The New York Giants traded back into the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and selected Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields, then used the 37th pick to take Tennessee cornerback Colton Hood. It was a fast double hit in a draft tracker already packed with bios, scouting reports, highlights and first reactions.
Fields gives the Giants a receiver who started all 12 games for Notre Dame in 2025 and closed the year second on the team with 630 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions. He also led all players with 17.5 yards per reception among those with at least 10 catches, and his biggest game came against Pitt, when he posted season highs of 99 yards on seven receptions and two touchdowns.
Hood arrives after a lone season at Tennessee that turned him into one of the more decorated defensive backs in the class. The transfer cornerback committed to Tennessee in May 2025 after leaving Colorado, then earned All-SEC honors from the and coaches and was a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award. He was invited to the 2026 NFL Combine after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft following the 2025 regular season.
The two picks also tell the story of how the Giants handled the draft board once the third round opened up. Fields came from a Notre Dame offense that leaned on him as a full-time starter, while Hood brought a résumé built on production and versatility: 77 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 14 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery for a touchdown in 29 career games with 13 starts. Those numbers explain why he drew attention after one season in Knoxville.
What makes the Giants trade notable is that it gave New York a chance to come back up for Fields after already addressing the secondary with Hood at No. 37. The tracker around the selections points to the next layer of the draft story: how both players fit once the calls, expert grades and lineup notes turn into actual snaps.
For now, the Giants added a downfield target and a proven cornerback in the same draft window. That is the kind of swing that can change how the rest of the class is judged long after the picks are made.
