Teams always have keen interest in the debuts of their first-round picks. In the case of the Giants, this goes far beyond quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants came out of this year’s draft with three players in the first round, making Thursday night the preseason opener against the Jets at MetLife Stadium for not only Jones (selected No. 6 overall), but also defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence (No. 17) and cornerback DeAndre Baker (30).

“It’s going to be big,” Baker said. “The first [NFL] game of my life. I’ve been dreaming about this day for a long time. It’s finally come true.”

The Giants traded up into the first round to get Baker, the first cornerback taken in the 2019 draft. He has lined up with the starters from Day 1 of training camp, opposite veteran Janoris Jenkins.

Baker figures to get plenty of work against the Jets. The same holds true for Lawrence, who won two national championships at Clemson. Lawrence is starting at a defensive-end spot in the three-man line used by coordinator James Bettcher.

“Since I was young. I never thought about college,” Lawrence said. “College was just something I had to do just to get to this level. Now I’m here, so it’s just all about making the most of it. It’s what you’ve dreamed of all your life. Just to have this opportunity to go out there and prove myself. The first impression is the best impression kind of deal. No stress, it’s just go out there and play football. It’s what I’ve been doing all my life.”

This is the 51st consecutive preseason meeting in a series that began in 1969 and is almost always played as the third preseason game. It is the opener this year, largely because the Giants face each team from the AFC East in the regular season and will play the Jets Nov. 10.

“I was involved in those conversations,’’ coach Pat Shurmur said. “I think it makes sense. We’re going to play the Jets in the regular season. This is more about the players and trying to decide who our best 53 are, than actually the scheme and the matchups and all that. We’ll get to that later when we play the Jets. But to play them first instead of third, I think it makes sense this year.’’

Offensive tackle could be a dicey spot in this opener for the Giants. Starters Nate Solder and Mike Remmers, both coming off offseason surgeries, might not play much, if at all. The next backup tackles on the depth chart, Chad Wheeler and Brian Mihalik, are likely sidelined with injuries. George Asafo-Adjei, a seventh-round pick, is also out. That means undrafted rookie Paul Adams and Chad Slade, a member of the Texans practice squad the past few years, could receive extended playing time, possibly making life difficult for the quarterbacks on the field.