Leon Hall can vividly remember the young Victor Cruz.

“He was a problem,” Hall told The Post. “I remember going into the games where we played him that the offense did a lot of stuff with him — a lot of different routes, he lined up different places.

“Every game you’d have a couple of guys that you obviously gotta focus on, and he was definitely one of those, if not, especially at that time like the best slot receiver that was in the league, I mean definitely top three, maybe Randall Cobb was up there, too. There’s a couple of guys that play that slot wide receiver exceptionally well.”

Cruz hasn’t been a problem in nearly two years, but there he was again Tuesday, wearing his white Giants jersey with “CRUZ” in red letters etched above his familiar red 80 and bright orange shoes, the latest first step back toward becoming a problem again.

Hall, 32 in December, was a first-round draft choice in 2007 by the Bengals and is now the Giants slot corner. Cruz caught three passes for 26 yards in a 31-13 loss to Hall’s Bengals in 2012.

“He was getting it in [Tuesday], he had some pop to him, that was good to see. I mean everybody like to see that, from the players to the fans,” Hall said.

Hall, who signed on Aug. 4, was asked if he had any sense of how popular Cruz is here.

“I haven’t got a sense yet as far as being here, but I know that he’s obviously a figure in the city, and really in the country to be quite honest,” Hall said. “He’s one of those guys that’s like a household name, like [Odell] Beckham, and Eli [Manning], and that whole deal. So it’s one of those guys that everybody knows.”

Hall was asked if Cruz ever caught a touchdown on him.

“No,” he said, “but we had some good battles. We had some fun times.”

Safety Bennett Jackson, who knows about comebacks after spending his first two seasons as a Giant on injured reserve with knee injuries, often lined up at practice on Cruz. On one play, Cruz darted inside past Jackson’s outside leverage.

“He’s definitely moving a lot faster,” Jackson said. “We were on the ‘show’ defense, so we were kind of just giving a scout look. I feel like he’s moving a lot faster than he’s been moving. It’s definitely good to see him out there kind of getting back into it.”

Jackson was at Notre Dame when Cruz began to salsa his way into Big Blue hearts.

“He was just electric. He was an electric kind of guy. A big play almost any play, whenever he touched the ball, he has that capability to make a big play,” Jackson said. “And I think he still has it, honestly. It’s just when you’re coming off an injury, you kind of just gotta get back confident in yourself, and I think he is.

“I think he’s just waiting to really unleash it.”

Jackson and Cruz have rehabbed together. Jackson has seen firsthand how desperately Cruz has wanted to return to the game he loves.

“You can overcome really any injury for the most part, as long as you really push at it, stay consistent with your work. … You can always get back to where you need to be,” Jackson said. “Obviously, some injuries will be harder than others, but at the end of the day, he’s getting over it, and he’s finally getting healthy and ready to play.”

Beckham kept Cruz and others entertained with his dance moves during breaks in practice. Cruz, who mostly resembled a kid in a candy store, even contributed a minor shimmy at one point.

“In my opinion, he looked great,” Beckham said.

He meant running routes and catching passes.

“I was running a route deep, and I looked back to see where the ball went, and it went to 80, and I saw him catch it, turn up field and burst,” Beckham said. “It’s great to see Vic back out there. He’s been through quite a lot.”

Now we wait. The Giants wait. Cruz has suffered too many unforeseen setbacks to his patellar tendon, to his calf, to his groin. The plan is for him to play against the Jets. It is not a plan that can be etched in stone.

“In my mind, I’m definitely looking forward, and I think Vic will be ready come [Sept. 11],” Beckham said.

And if he is? Dallas, you have a problem.