Insider suggests Giants could trade up for one of two QB prospects

It appears some within the NFL community believe the New York Giants could trade up in the 2024 draft order to acquire a rookie quarterback, but not in a way some fans want heading toward April 25. 

For a piece published Friday, ESPN NFL insider Field Yates suggested that the Giants could make a trade with the division-rival Washington Commanders to move up from overall pick No. 47 to No. 36 for the right to draft either Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. or Oregon Ducks signal-caller Bo Nix.

"The Giants have done their due diligence on the quarterbacks at the top of the draft class, acknowledging publicly the possibility of taking one early," Yates explained. "But if they either don't have the draft capital to move up from No. 6 for one of the top guys or just opt to take a wide receiver at that spot instead, a second-round move up is logical." 

As of the second Friday of April, it seems unlikely the Giants will be able or willing to move up to No. 3 or No. 4 to draft LSU Tigers quarterback Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye of the North Carolina Tar Heels or Michigan Wolverines star J.J. McCarthy. 

Some think New York should and could move down toward the bottom of the first round of this year's draft via a trade that would land the club an extra 2025 first-round selection if a top-tier quarterback prospect it wants doesn't fall to the sixth pick. 

With all of that said, the Giants getting either Penix or Nix at No. 36 may be easier said than done. As of Friday, Penix was heavily linked with a Las Vegas Raiders club that could draft him at pick No. 13. 

NFL Media's Rhett Lewis predicted earlier this week that neither Penix nor Nix will be on the board when a team is called to spend overall selection No. 20. 

As for Penix-versus-Nix debates, analyst Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic said in a column posted on Thursday it's his opinion that "Nix is on the fringe of being worth a late-first round pick if a team has a good offensive (and defensive) line and playmakers." Baumgardner added that he sees Penix as "a third-round prospect — closer to the back end of the top 100 than the middle."