It’s been a slow start for Darius Slayton, the Giants’ fifth-round pick, but the receiver is finally ready to get rolling.

After an unimpressive rookie minicamp, Slayton made a better impression in the late spring and early summer. But a pesky hamstring injury kept the 22-year-old on the sidelines for several weeks, giving other receivers ample time to get noticed and develop their cases for a roster spot.

But Slayton can consider himself back in the mix, after his preseason debut Thursday in Cincinnati.

“It’s like it’s right there and you can’t grab it, you know what I mean?” Slayton said following practice Sunday. “Fortunately, I was able to get back out there against the Bengals and it felt really good to get out there and play again.”

In the Giants’ third straight preseason win, Slayton flashed his talent on a third-and-16 grab from rookie quarterback Daniel Jones in the second quarter. The 6-foot-1 Auburn product leaped and came down with Jones’ pass for a 27-yard-gain to set the Giants up inside the 1-yard line.

It came just after Jones was annihilated on a sack by Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson, who was teammates with Slayton at Auburn.

“I told him during the game, a couple of plays later there was a little break, and I was like ‘Carl, don’t be hitting my guy like that. Like I get it, you’re trying to get your sacks, but you could’ve laid him down gently,’” Slayton said, laughing. “Obviously, the next time [Jones] threw the pass to me and it was a great ball, so definitely shows he’s a tough guy.”

Coach Pat Shurmur said Slayton’s performance was “a good first step.” Although the reality is Slayton is a young player who would have benefitted from being on the field throughout the summer, instead of jumping into the conversation just a couple weeks ahead of the roster being trimmed to 53.

Slayton began practicing again just before the Giants faced the Bears on Aug. 17, though he was kept out of the game as a precaution. The Georgia native felt like he was pretty close to returning, but said it was a smart decision rather than the risky one of rushing back.

He was pleasantly surprised with how he felt taking the field Thursday. Once the surreal feeling of stepping into his first NFL game wore off, Slayton said he didn’t feel rusty. He credited his readiness to how the team practices every day and how prepared he felt despite being sidelined for so long.

But Slayton knows he has some ground to make up.

“A little bit, it’s hard not to feel [like I fell behind], just having to watch all the time,” he said. “Definitely I stayed engaged mentally, which, like I said, when it came time for me to play, I felt like I knew my plays and my assignments and at that point your talent takes over.”

Now that the issues with his hamstring are in the rearview mirror, Slayton has been focusing on staying healthy. With the uncertainty of what lies ahead, he’s determined to get into top shape and play his best ball.

The Giants have seen what Slayton was able to do with a vanilla offense at Auburn. After he was red-shirted in 2015, Slayton accumulated 1,605 yards in three seasons. Last season, he had 35 receptions for 670 yards (19.1 average) and tied for a team-high five touchdowns in 12 games (11 starts).

Auburn recruited Slayton primarily for his speed. In high school he was a state sprint champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and continues to utilize his speed.

Slayton is in a pool of wide receivers that has gotten shallower by the day, with Corey Coleman’s torn ACL ending his season and Golden Tate’s four-game suspension being upheld. Amba Etta-Tawo, signed to add training camp depth, tore his ACL earlier this month.

Sterling Shepard, whose thumb injury is basically fully healed, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard and Cody Latimer are locks to make the roster. That leaves T.J. Jones, who has drawn a lot of attention, and Slayton likely to make it with Alonzo Russell a long shot.

“I just kind of feel like I need to come back and do my job,” Slayton said. “Do what I was doing before during OTAs and even although I was only there for half of practice before I got hurt. But even then just getting back to doing what I was doing.”