EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — It is too soon to say if receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the New York Giants’ first-round draft pick, will make his NFL debut this weekend, but there is optimism that the long overdue event will take place.

Beckham, sidelined the majority of training camp and thus far this season by a hamstring injury, worked on a limited basis during last week’s short week. He was also limited in the team’s Wednesday practice, their first to kick off their week of preparation for their game against Atlanta on Sunday.

So far, so good for the former LSU star.

“We’re in that phase (of trying to get him ready),” Giants coach Tom Coughlin said.

“What we obviously need to do is to see some hard, back-to-back practices, one after the other, which I expect we’ll accomplish this week.”

If Beckham does come through the week with no setbacks, he will likely get a limited package of plays on Sunday in what would be his first significant game action in almost a year.

Of course, plans are subject to change, and Coughlin noted that if he had to expand a package designated for Beckham, he would be confident in the receiver’s understanding of the offense.

“He’s been in every meeting. I would expect him to know everything,” Coughlin said. “He’s demonstrated an ability to handle whatever’s thrown at him. He has done that throughout, so I would expect that.

“Now, under fire with adjustments and signals and things of that nature, we’ve got to see where we are with regard to that, too.”

On Sunday, when the Giants host the Falcons, a side story will feature the teacher versus the student.

The teacher is defensive end Osi Umenyiora, the former New York Giants pass-rushing specialist now with the Falcons.

Umenyiora, of course, lined up across from the student, left tackle Will Beatty, for four years. On Sunday, he will get to see up close and personal how far his protege has come.

“Will Beatty has always been a very good player. I think he was very competitive, very mature beyond his age, especially when he came in, and he is still that way now,” Umenyiora told the New York media via conference call.

“He is playing very well, I am very happy for him, and I am proud of him, proud to see the type of player he has become, because he was like that from the beginning.”

The teacher then turned playful in his tone when speaking about his former student.

“I left last year, so obviously he didn’t have anybody pushing him,” Umnyiora added. “That is why his game kind of slipped a little bit, but now he looked on the schedule and he sees me on there and all of a sudden he is an All-Pro left tackle again, so I am going to take credit for that.”

Told of Umenyiora’s words, Beatty laughed.

“He knows I’m going to bring it,” Beatty said with a smile. “When we used to practice together, we went all at it. Knowing what Osi did, I get to show him, ‘Ok, now I’m no longer the student.’

“He’s going to give his all and I’m going to give my all and it’s going to be a fun game. I don’t know how many plays I’ll see him, but when I do, it’s going to be like, ‘It’s me and you.'”

Beatty, who struggled with his consistency in 2013, shook his head when asked if he thought he was playing better this year.

“I’m playing real good, but I don’t feel like I’m playing my best,” he said. “I’m still out there looking at film and finding things that I can improve like running blocks, the downhill hitting, and things like that. There is still a lot of improvement.”

He will not only get his chance against Umenyiora this weekend, he’ll also get to work on his craft against whoever Falcons defensive coordinator Mike Nolan lines up across from him.

“It’s still a game; it’s not like my entire focus is on (Umenyiora),” Beatty said. “There’s still an entire defense and a lot more to the game to prepare for.”

The gleam in his eye returned when it was mentioned that this might be the only opportunity to go live against Umenyiora.

“Going up against someone you know, you’re like now it’s no longer practice; you get to go live and it’s for bragging rights that you didn’t have before because it was practice. Now you get to have them.”

NOTES: LB Jon Beason (foot/toe) continues to be limited in practice. … LB Devon Kennard (hamstring) was limited in practice. Kennard told reporters that he felt good running and changing direction but that he would wait to see how he felt the rest of the week before huddling with team trainers regarding his availability for Sunday. … P Steve Weatherford (ankle) was limited in practice. … WR Mario Manningham received an injury settlement after spending the first four weeks on injured reserve with a calf injury.