NFL

Young receivers Barden, Beckum seek Giant leap

The red-shirt year is over for Ramses Barden and Travis Beckum, two physically imposing athletes who after a season of development must show why the Giants used 2009 third-round draft picks to bring them aboard.

After yet another offseason filled with revamping of their defense, the Giants stood pat on offense. They are hoping a return to health of their running backs and linemen, plus the anticipated NFL-readiness of youngsters such as Barden and Beckum, will inject added life into an attack that generated 402 points, an average of 25 per game.

“We need some of these young guys to step up and play well,” said Eli Manning when asked about Barden and Beckum. “They need to get in there, they’re going to make mistakes still, but we need them to really have a big influence on this year.”

The duo endured the typical growing pains in their first taste of the big league. Beckum, a swift 6-foot-3, 239-pound tight end, caught eight passes for 55 yards. Barden, a towering 6-6, 227-pound wide receiver, rarely was in uniform on Sundays and had just one reception for 16 yards.

If the two can get in gear and make any sort of impact in a passing game that already features Steve Smith, Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks it will be a plethora of options for Manning.

During a practice session last week, Barden showed he had a feel for route running, slipping behind cornerback Aaron Ross to haul in Manning’s pass on a perfectly executed fade pattern. Beckum — essentially an H-back — more than once got downfield for catches.

If these two targets can make the strides the Giants expect, the red-zone problems of the past should be gone.

“I don’t want to say it’s night and day, but it’s definitely different,” Barden said of the difference from last year. “There’s an understanding for the offense, for the scheme, for the concepts, with the plays and the teammates there’s a lot more comfort. I’m able to focus more on the details as opposed to the basics and a little bit more let football become natural again.

“Instead of worrying about what I got on each play I can say ‘What is this guy’s tendencies? How can I beat him? What can I do to set him up?’ It becomes more of a game,” he said. “It’s more fun when you don’t have to worry about the basic concepts. It gives me an opportunity to show my ability outside of what people have seen thus far.”

Barden is making this transition from the modest football level at Cal Poly. Beckum played at Wisconsin, but clearly was not ready in his first season to handle the intricacies of a pro-style offense.

“Last year, everything I learned was new and fresh to me and this year it’s much easier to understand just because I’ve done it before,” Beckum said. “It’s just easier to go out and play when you know what you’re doing. The only reason you don’t play full speed is your lack of knowing what to do.

“It was my rookie year and you never know what to expect,” he said. “You never know what coaches have in store for you. Of course I would have liked to play more but I’m not going to look back on it and dread on it. It was my rookie year.”

Manning sees Beckum as “having speed and a shifty guy, be able to stretch the field and do some things after the catch.” As for Barden, Manning said he is “just that big receiver, whether you put him in the slot or outside, having a physical guy to catch the ball over the middle.”

paul.schwartz@nypost.com