NFL

Big Blue’s top pick finally hits the ground running

Odell Beckham Jr. hauls in a pass at practicePaul J. Bereswill
Rookie Odell Beckham Jr. caught the attention of Tom Coughlin with a sprint from the field house onto the grass outdoor fields, a sight that had the veteran coach thinking, “Well maybe he can run 20 yards.’’ It was Coughlin’s way of saying it was about time for the first-round pick to get to work.

Beckham has been sidelined much of the organized team activity practices with a slight hamstring issue and he didn’t do much on the first day of the mini-camp. Beckham did just about everything on Wednesday other than the two-minute drill late in the session and declared he is running at about 85 percent.

“If you had a V8 [engine] it’s probably your fifth or sixth gear right there,’’ Beckham said.

Even though he wasn’t running to full acceleration, Beckham did manage to make his first touchdown catch, leaping to haul in a sailing pass from Ryan Nassib in the end zone.


TE Larry Donnell was taken to Hackensack University Medical Center after practice in the 90-degree heat and humidity with dehydration. He was treated and released.


Johnathan Hankins is first in line for Linval Joseph’s vacated starting defensive tackle spot. “It’s his turn,’’ Coughlin said of Hankins, a second-round draft pick in 2013. “That’s why he’s here.’’


With offensive coaches barking out instructions and at times shouting some naughty words, the play was ragged. Once, Eli Manning tried a pump-fake and the ball slipped out of his hands. CB Zack Bowman had an interception returned for a TD off Manning and a potential TD was missed when Nassib’s pass carried out of the reach of Rueben Randle. “Small gains,’’ Coughlin said of the offensive progress.


The mini-camp comes to an end after Thursday’s practice, with the veterans making a quick getaway and not returning until July 21, when they report for training camp. The rookies will be in on Friday before leaving, with the draft picks required to attend the NFL’s Rookie Symposium next week in Ohio.