The New York Giants’ first preseason game is finally almost here. They square off with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. ET, and Giants fans will get their first real look at what this new roster could become. From rookie wide receivers to a kicker competition to defensive line depth, there’s plenty to monitor in this one. Let’s dig in.

Malachi Fields’ debut in the Giants offense

The most intriguing storyline Saturday revolves around wide receiver Malachi Fields. The rookie has made waves during training camp to the point where he looks like the No. 2 outside option. Fields was not listed as the second outside wide receiver on the unofficial depth chart, which only means so much, but it feels as though he could get a ton of reps in this game.

Fields is the one player on this Giants roster who could be pretty boom or bust as a first-year player. If he’s living up to the expectation of being a reliable X receiver, this offense takes on a different dimension. The first glimpses of him within New York’s scheme will be super fun to watch.

Offensive line evaluation: JK Davis and Marcus Mbow

The offensive line will be under a microscope, and while Evan Neal will get some run, the real focus should be on JC Davis and Marcus Mbow. 

I loved the Davis pick, and I thought he was going to carve out a role as one of the backup offensive linemen rather than a practice squad player. Can he take advantage of this opportunity and build off the momentum he’s had during camp? Could this be a developmental piece for New York at guard, or do they only see him as a tackle? Maybe he ends up taking over as the starting left guard for Jon Runyan next season if things go well.

Marcus Mbow is another player I feel like I haven’t gotten much from during training camp. He was pretty good in the preseason games last year, and that was where a lot of the buzz came from. The Giants have invested multiple late-round picks on offensive linemen, and now is a chance for Davis and Mbow to show they may be worthy of more than just being backups.

Linebacker depth beyond the starters

Speaking of players performing better than just backups, the linebacker room has been making noise. Tremaine Edmunds and Arvell Reese are established, but that’s not the focus here. Jack Kelly and Micah McFadden have been awesome at the backup spots they’ve occupied, with McFadden reportedly playing at a starter level.

Are these guys as good as advertised, or is this just camp bluster that evaporates in a game setting? Linebacker was such an issue last year. The Giants had no depth at the position, and they haven’t had good linebacker play in roughly five years. The fact that they’ve got two solid starters and now potentially reliable depth is super promising.

Interior defensive line depth after Dexter Lawrence

The defensive tackle conversation is a bit different. We probably shouldn’t expect much from D.J. Reader, Shelby Harris, or even Darius Alexander in terms of preseason reps. The real question is how the depth looks behind them.

Zacch Pickens, Chauncey Gholston, Leki Fotu, Bobby Jamison-Travis, and Josh Tupou are all new faces competing for roster spots. Are they going to get mauled when the backup unit takes the field, or will we see solid competition against Minnesota’s second-team offensive line? Knowing the possible drop-off after losing a player of Dexter Lawrence’s caliber, the Giants are going to need good depth to compensate.

Cornerback rotation and Deonte Banks

I’m also going to be focused on the corner rotation. Despite reports that Paulson Adebo has not been performing well, he was still listed as the starting outside cornerback. How much will Colton Hood play? How much will Deonte Banks play? It feels like there’s going to be a lot of reps for all the corners on Saturday as a means of developing this competition.

Last preseason, Banks struggled mightily, and it became clear he was not going to carve out a starting role. I would love to see whether the improvements everyone has been pushing for regarding Banks are true. Is he going to go out there and grab a pick, break up a pass, stick in coverage? Or does the game setting bring back the Deonte Banks we know, where everything is moving at full speed, and he just can’t react consistently enough to make reliable plays?

Kicker competition: Sauls vs. Zvada

Ben Sauls and Dominic Zvada are battling it out, and I think Divito is going to win this job. But do we get real in-game opportunities to evaluate them? That’s when you can actually separate the contenders. How they perform Saturday will be the real way to determine the winner.

New York also has a new long snapper in Ben Mann from Boston College. Is he as good as he has been touted to be? The Giants dropped Zach Fournier, who I knew personally and used to work out with. I was shocked they moved on from him given his experience, so Man needs to prove himself quickly.