One Day 2 WR fits exactly what the Jets need next to Garrett Wilson

As the NFL Combine wraps up in Indianapolis, the New York Jets find themselves in a fascinating position. With two first-round picks (No. 2 and No. 16 overall), the focus is on rebuilding around Aaron Glenn’s culture.

While the quarterback search is front-of-mind, the Jets desperately need to find a physical, big-bodied target to complement Garrett Wilson on the perimeter. And that very specific prototype in the Day 2 bucket has led the Jets' scouts to a powerhouse target from South Bend.

Notre Dame WR Malachi Fields makes a lot of sense as a Jets draft target

If you were to design a possession plus receiver to stabilize a Jets passing attack, he would look eerily similar to the 6-foot-4 former UVA transfer in Malachi Fields.

A physical outlier who transformed his draft stock during a dominant 2025 season as the Fighting Irish’s primary chain-mover, Fields entered Combine week with his stock soaring after an excellent week at the Senior Bowl.

The Fit

Fields' body type paints the picture of a player that lives in the contested catch window, but he's much, much more than that. He finished the fall averaging 17.5 yards per reception, a nod to his ability downfield and explosiveness after the catch.

He's a QBs best friend because of his catch radius and sticky hands (only one drop on 64 targets in his final season), and for a Jets offense that has often lacked a reliable target who can win above the rim in the red zone — away from Wilson — Fields provides a massive mismatch against the smaller, quicker corners of the AFC East.

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The Mougey Factor

Fields fits the profile of a high-character, high-reliability athlete who can do the dirty work while also serving as a top-three target within an NFL offense.

Unlike the previous regime’s smaller, twitchier targets, Fields brings a blocking mentality that Glenn will covet to help spring Breece Hall and Braelon Allen in the run game.

Why the Combine Matters

For Fields, scouts want to see him verify his athletic testing. While he is an elite leaper and adjustment artist, scouts have questions about his top-end vertical speed. A good range to land for him would be no slower than high 4.5s (Editor's note: Fields ran a 4.61 40 time).

For a Jets team that finished 2025 needing to find a dependable security blanket for their next QB, Fields is the high-floor prototype that could stabilize the offense as the running mate to Wilson for years.