A Giants-Commanders trade to land NY Malik Nabers and a new QB

The New York Giants own the No. 6 pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. We all expect the Giants to target a quarterback at some point, but the sixth pick is not ideal positioning for a quarterback prospect this year. There is a strong chance four of the first five picks are dedicated to the QB position, with at least one team leapfrogging New York via trade in order to land their desired signal-caller.

Little is guaranteed in the NFL Draft, of course. Maybe one of the top four — Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy — slips through the cracks to the Giants at No. 6. Or maybe New York decides to be the leapfrogger, instead of the leapfrogged.

That said, ESPN's Adam Schefter doesn't believe New York will use the No. 6 pick on a quarterback. He thinks the GIants will address one of their many other needs, such as wide receiver. Meanwhile, Mel Kiper Jr. has the Giants trading up for Bo Nix in the second round of his latest mock draft. A potential hint at New York's current operating strategy.

So, here's a logical trade in which the Giants accomplish a simple goal — boosting the WR room at No. 6 while still landing a highly-touted QB in the second round, be it Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr.

Giants-Commanders trade to address New York's WR and QB problems

Two birds killed, one stone tossed by the Giants here. This allows them to not overthink the No. 6 pick and use it on the best player available. Barring an unexpected tumble for Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr., that will be LSU pass-catcher Malik Nabers. Some NFL front offices are even growing to prefer Nabers, which is a testament to his talent. Harrison has been receiving A.J. Green comps all spring.

In the second round, New York can target its QB of choice. Bo Nix feels like the safer pick compared to Michael Penix, even if he's 24 years old with a complicated NCAA arc. By his senior season at Oregon, Nix was college football's most polished passer, completing 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,508 yards, 45 touchdowns, and only three interceptions. That was good for a third-place finish in Heisman voting.

The Heisman runner-up, of course, was Washington's Michael Penix Jr., another beneficiary of the Pac-12's offensive haven. Penix has some worrying injury concerns and he's not traditionally mobile outside the pocket. He does, however, present a much stronger arm than Nix, with a knack for perfectly placing deep balls for his vertically-inclined receivers. Nabers averaged 17.6 yards per catch last season at LSU. The man gets vertical.

For the Washington Commanders, it's a fairly simple exchange of picks. The Commanders land an extra third-round pick in exchange for moving back 11 spots, which hardly tanks their options. Washington is going to land its QB of the future at No. 2, so there will be no such pressure to nail a key position of need in the second round. The Commanders have wiggle room, the Giants do not.

New York has one of the worst WR rooms in the NFL, with Darius Slayton as the only real name of intrigue. If the Giants want to set up their rookie QB for success, it would be wise to boost the pass-catching corps first — especially if their next quarterback is ultimately Nix, who relied on sharp execution and the post-catch explosiveness of his receivers at Oregon, rather than beating teams with a big arm.

This trade should work out nicely for both sides. There isn't too much risk in either direction. It all comes down to making the right picks.