These 5 NY Giants have stood out this week in joint practices with Detroit Lions

Art Stapleton | NorthJersey

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ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Odell Beckham Jr. standing out in a crowd is pretty much a given, and on the football field, that pretty much has become the norm.

The New York Giants' star wide receiver has looked like his old self here this week in joint practices with the Detroit Lions, flashing the talent that puts him near or at the top of his position in the NFL. He's healthy, happy and clearly a centerpiece in whatever success Big Blue is going to have this season in Pat Shurmur's first year as head coach.

But Beckham is not the only one who was worth watching against the Lions.

These five Giants players have also stood out, staking their claim for significant roles as the team moves into Friday night's preseason game against the Lions and beyond toward their Sept. 9 regular season opener at MetLife Stadium against the Jacksonville Jaguars following Thursday's walk-thru here between the two teams.

Sterling Shepard

It's been a great few weeks for the third-year wide receiver. His wife, Chanel Iman, gave birth to their daughter, Cali Clay, last Friday, and Sterling has come to Detroit and continued his strong summer.

Shepard has made plays all over the field, proving he can do so from the slot and the outside. The precision of his route running and his explosion out of breaks has given Lions defensive backs all sorts of trouble.

In Wednesday's practice, during one team session, Shepard drew a defensive pass interference penalty when the cornerback had no choice but to pull him down to avoid a potential big play and a likely touchdown. But his success is also coming without the ball: Shepard earned praise from coaches during red zone drills for numerous routes on which he flat out beat his defender, even though the pass went elsewhere.

B.J. Hill

The rookie defensive lineman continues to impress. Hill is causing havoc, and truth be told, the entire front with Damon Harrison at nose guard and Dalvin Tomlinson at the other end spot is dominating against the run. There have been numerous plays during team drills when Hill has beaten his man and gotten to the backfield, forced to pull up in the non-contact situations with regard to the opposing quarterback.

Lorenzo Carter

Another rookie poised to make big contributions. His maturation has been fun to watch as both Carter and Hill - the Giants' third round picks - are poised to break the trend of third-round busts for Big Blue dating back to the last real hit in that round: Justin Tuck.

Take Wednesday's goal line team period in which Connor Barwin, who has taken Carter under his wing, implored the former Georgia star from the sideline. Carter responded with back-to-back would-be sacks, first rushing from the right side off the edge and then using a spin move to get inside and bull rush through the pocket.

Janoris Jenkins

"Jackrabbit" is back to his Pro Bowl form from 2016, and it's been exactly what the Giants secondary needs. The Lions have shied away from Jenkins' side of the field, picking on Eli Apple instead. Defensive coordinator James Bettcher can use Jenkins when he's at his best as a weapon and another chess piece, much of the way safety Landon Collins will be used, albeit in a different role.

Nate Solder

The Lions don't necessarily have a tremendous defensive rush with Ziggy Ansah still working his way back into form. But Solder has been a calming presence on the blind side and he's actually been more productive in the run game than had been advertised. The right side of tackle Ereck Flowers and guard Patrick Omameh has had its good moments and bad, but Solder and left guard Will Hernandez have appeared to punish the Lions at times, especially when the Giants turn to the ground game.

All that work over the first two weeks of training camp going against Olivier Vernon - who has kept up his strong play as well, including a stop of Lions running back Ameer Abdullah for a 7-yard loss Wednesday - seems to be getting Solder ready for the season.

Email: stapleton@northjersey.com

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