QB DAVIS WEBB

Everyone around the Giants is excited to see Davis Webb play extended minutes in a NFL game against live competition. Webb has gotten plenty of practice reps over the last five months and has displayed all the tools anyone would want from a NFL quarterback. He has the best arm talent on the roster, is mobile enough to avoid the rush and has the work ethic you want from a quarterback.

Now, everyone gets to see how he translates all those skills and tools from the practice field to an in-game situation. Everything in a game is faster. Webb will have to process things at a must faster pace pre and post snap, and then see what he needs to see down the field with a live pass rush trying to hit him.

There's also the matter of not trying to do too much on any one given play, and making the right decisions in real time.

"I think just having the mindset of don't chase and be aggressively patient," Webb said. "Understand down and distance, the situation of the game. In practice, it's four reps or three reps and you're trying to do the best you can for that play and it's on to the next one. You kind of just have to understand the flow of the game and the situation and again don't chase and take what the defense gives you."

RT ERECK FLOWERS

The last time Ereck Flowers lined up as a starting right tackle in a football game was at Miami when he was a freshman in 2012. He has been manning that position with the Giants starting offense since he arrived for the offseason program, and the move has been a challenge.

"When you move over you kind of have to switch everything, your muscle memory, a lot of different things," Flowers said. "It's going pretty well though I have gotten a lot better at it since I first started. It's different footwork, it's different everything. There's different ways of looking at silent counts, everything is a little bit different."

The NFL is no longer a league where the right tackle has to play primarily against bigger linemen that only concern themselves with stopping the run. The three best pass rushers on the three NFC East teams the Giants compete with every year will all line up over right tackle: DeMarcus Lawrence, Brandon Graham and Ryan Kerrigan.

The bright side is that Flowers has gained a lot of experience the last three years against talented pass rushers as the Giants left tackle. Flowers needs as many snaps in possible in game situations to further acclimate himself to the right side, and build chemistry with right guard Patrick Omameh.

SAFETY CURTIS RILEY

The Giants starting safety next to Landon Collins on Thursday night appear to be Curtis Riley, who has played in 11 NFL games with no starts since entering the league in 2016. Riley missed some practice time last week with a leg injury but returned this week and was put into the starting lineup.

Riley is part of a wide open competition at safety with Darian Thompson, Michael Thomas, and Andrew Adams. Riley will get the first shot with the starters to show what he can do.

CB ELI APPLE

The struggles during Eli Apple's sophomore year have been well documented but he has been playing his third training camp with a lot of confidence and a chip on his shoulder. He will have the chance to go against a Browns receiving corps led by Jarvis Landry.

Defensive Coordinator James Bettcher's scheme appears to fit Apple's preferred playing style very well. Appls has always excelled at press coverage where he can use his length and physicality and he has been put in that a lot over the course of the summer.

With Josh Gordon still not with the Browns, Jarvis Landry could be an interesting matchup for Apple if he gets the chance to line up against him. Thursday will also be Eli Apple's birthday.

"I think every day I'm kind of getting older, growing up a little bit, and my birthday is actually August 9," Apple said earlier in camp. "I turn 23, so naturally I think I'm getting older, getting a little bit more mature. Just trying to continue to just learn – that's the main thing, learning and getting better."

RB SAQUON BARKLEY

Did you really think I was going to leave Saquon Barkley off this list? The Giants second overall pick in the draft will likely get his first game action with the Giants Thursday night. Barkley has been as advertised during the spring and summer, showing absurd agility and very refined receiving skills for a running back.

One thing no one has seen Barkley do in a Giants uniform is play against guys actively trying to tackle him. It is something that can't be simulated in practice, and can really define how good a running back is. Breaking tackles, making defenders miss, and making the right decisions against defenders going full speed is the essence of running the football.

"Definitely looking forward to the first hit," Barkley said. "The first hit in the game is the thing that knocks everything out – whether you're nervous, you're overthinking stuff. So, it definitely helps. Like I was saying out there, I haven't really got the time to really sit down and think about playing in my first NFL game. But, I'm definitely looking forward to the opportunity."

Giants fans will get their first glimpse at Barkley on Thursday night.

(Bonus No.6) WR ODELL BECKHAM JR.

Last year, Odell Beckham Jr. missed 12 games with a fractured ankle. So far this summer, he has looked like his old self (and said he feels that way too) and has taken plenty of reps with the first team offense. Will he play Thursday night? If he does, fans will be excited to see if he looks just as explosive as he was pre-injury.

"It's kind of like over the last month I've taken a huge stride," Beckham said. "I remember maybe two months ago, it wasn't as smooth and I wasn't getting out of cuts, and you kind of get that frustration and just you want to get back to where you were at. But now that I'm here, like I said, it's been a lot of hard work put in, lot of doctors, lot of treatment, lot of rehab, lot of pain you went through. It's nice to be here now."