EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- A daily review of the hot topics coming out of training camp:

• Rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the New York Giants' first-round pick, did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury. He did work some on the side with a trainer, and he stood talking to coaches while the rest of the team practiced, so those are a couple of signs that the injury isn't overly serious. If it's real bad, generally the player will stay inside. That said, the Giants are frustrated that Beckham's hamstring kept him from practicing as much as he should have in the spring and that it's already an issue in training camp. They need him on the field, getting reps in the offense, because he plays a key role as the "X" receiver who's supposed to stretch the field with his speed. It's still early -- remember, due to the extra preseason game, the Giants started camp about a week earlier than they usually do. But Beckham is a rookie who needs to practice.

• Left tackle Will Beatty has taken more practice reps that I expected, and I asked Giants coach Tom Coughlin if Beatty had done more than he expected as well coming off the broken leg. "He's doing a little bit more, and that's very encouraging, and I'm giving him a lot of credit for this," Coughlin said. "He's not overdoing it, but he's doing more than what was expected. I hope he's able to continue to work his way back once he put pads on. I do know that he feels like he needs to be stronger, but I would say that that's normal." Beatty was a slow healer early in his career, so the fact that he's pushing to get back is encouraging to the Giants, as long as he stays smart about it.

• One possible bit of good news that could help ameliorate the Beckham situation is that injured wide receiver Mario Manningham has been taking some reps and made a very nice catch on one of those reps Wednesday. Manningham's knee could be an issue all year (and for the rest of his career), but so far so good on his recovery.

• Daniel Fells lined up as the starting tight end at the start of 11-on-11 drills for the second day in a row, but he, Adrien Robinson and Kellen Davis all took some first-team reps, though sometimes they were lined up in a fullback or H-back position in the backfield.

• Brandon McManus is a legitimate threat to Josh Brown for the placekicker job. He can kick it a mile, and if he shows reliable accuracy on field goals, he could have the edge for what he might offer on kickoffs.