The New York Giants are going to have to wait longer than they hoped to see their first-round draft pick in action, something the team really cannot afford. The Giants are coming off a season where their offense was in shambles for the first part of the season as every position group struggled. The team attempted to fix that issue for 2014 by drafting Odell Beckham Jr in hopes that he could pair up with Victor Cruz and be a big-play threat. However, a hamstring could delay his debut for up to three weeks.
Not much has been seen from Beckham since he was drafted. The former LSU standout injured his hamstring during the first practice of training camp back in July and has not practice with the team since mid-August. Now, head coach Tom Coughlin is reporting that the rookie could be out up to three weeks, causing the Giants to adjust their offensive plan.
"Let's just let this kid get better," Coughlin said, via ESPN.com. "I went to him yesterday to say, 'Let's just not have any more setbacks.' Because it's every day the same question over and over. He's not ready to play. He may be a couple or three weeks away. I'll let you know when he's ready."
Beckham admits the injury is really frustrating for his progress. The wide receiver remained relatively injury during his college tenure so the delay to his NFL career is a bit of a shock. Beckham stressed that he does not want to rush onto the field and suffer a setback so the slow return will hopefully be better in the long run.
"It just makes me more comfortable to know, 'Make sure you get right. Take your time,'" Beckham said. "Hurting yourself is really hurting the team, so I've just got to try to get better every day. It's great to have the feeling of Coach having your back. Just kept re-aggravating it. Right now I'm just taking it day by day. I don't set any limits on myself."
Fantasy owners who picked up Beckham in hopes that he would live up to his first-round status are likely disappointed. Right now, Rueben Randle is penciled in to start opposite Victor Cruz. Mario Manningham could see extended playing time alongside undrafted rookie Corey Washington and veteran Preston Parker. New York has been starting Jerrel Jernigan in the outside spot while they wait for Beckham so adjust the rosters accordingly.