Are Giants Trying to Bait Vikings into Trading Ahead of Them in NFL Draft?

We do not know which quarterback prospect the Minnesota Vikings are targeting in the upcoming NFL Draft or which teams they will have to jump ahead of, in order to land whoever that potential QB of the future is.

All we know, as of today, is (a) how the board lies, (b) the teams ahead of them who are reportedly interested in taking a QB in the top-10 and (c) which teams behind them could POSSIBLY be interested in jumping into the top-10 to steal their guy.

Of course, those are moving targets to try and nail down. After Caleb Williams goes No. 1 overall to the Chicago Bears, everything that happens next is all projection. We think the Washington Commanders (No. 2) are drafting a QB and we know the New England Patriots plan to do the same at No. 3, unless they receive a King’s ransom to trade back.

Then, there’s the Arizona Cardinals (No. 4), who could be very plausible trade partners for the Vikings, if they’re willing to lose out on Marvin Harrison Jr. Same thing can be said about the Los Angeles Chargers at No. 5, if one or two of the top-4 QBs fall that far.

Giants trying to convince Minnesota Vikings that they’re drafting QB

But will general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah have to move up as high as pick No. 4 or No. 5, to lock in KOC’s QB? A lot of that depends on how the Vikings’ front office feels about the New York Giants and what they might do at pick No. 6

It was originally believed that the Giants planned to roll with Daniel Jones for at least one more season. They signed him to such a massive contract that most of the league believes that is their only option. But not so fast says Matt Miller (ESPN).

Related: Jayden Daniels Does Not Appear Interested in Meeting or Working Out with Vikings

He has been trying to cross the Giants off of his “we might draft a QB” list for weeks. The problem, however, is that the NYG staff has been doing so much homework on these quarterback prospects, behind the scenes, that Miller’s most trusted intel has forced him to rethink what the Giants want to do at No. 6.

If the New York Giants aren’t trying to draft their next franchise QB on April 25, Matt writes, then they are doing a damn good job of making everybody think they are.

[The Giants at No. 6] have done all the work on the quarterbacks. They met extensively with Michael Penix Jr. last Friday, worked Drake Maye out Saturday and worked J.J. McCarthy out Sunday. They had McCarthy and Maye to their facility for extraordinarily early “30” visits before free agency. They’re operating like a team that’s taking one. So they’re either planning to, or they’re trying to get someone else to leapfrog them, and make another top-shelf player fall to them. Either way, sitting behind them is a risk if you’re looking for one of the top four QBs.

Albert Breer – MMQB (SI)

It’s very possible that even Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and those inside the Minnesota Vikings organization have no idea what the Giants want to do at No. 6. That poses a major problem, if the Vikings are indeed trying to gauge how far up the board they must get, in order to land one of their preferred QB targets.

If New York decides against a QB, they make a very plausible trade partner, if one of head coach Kevin O’Connell’s preferred targets is still on the board. But it appears very possible that the Vikings won’t know the answer to that question until the Giants are on the clock and, let’s say, JJ McCarthy is still available.

Related: Report: Patriots Demanding King’s Ransom from Vikings for No. 3 Pick

But as Miller points out, that is a very risky bet for Kwesi to make. If he bets that the Giants front office is bluffing, and refuses to pay whatever they price is to move ahead of them, and they take the last of the four quarterbacks expected to go in the top-10… the Vikings could be stuck with 2nd-tier options that they aren’t as comfortable entrusting the franchise to.