Is it possible to have ESX switching packets (acting as a real switch with its NICs)

I know, I know.

This idea should never even have crossed my mind, but mine is a conceptual point, not a design one.

Given an ESX host with say multiple NICs

Say I connect 2x devices directly into ESX with a cross-ethernet so no traditional physical switch connectivity.

Could I allow external PC1 connected to ESX's NIC1 to communicate to PC2 physically connected to port ESX's NIC2 via?

I think the multi-port part of ESX assumes a NIC can be either disabled or uplink, so I was technically debating if the above scenario is something technically possible at all.

Thanks :-)