“He’s a 220-pound back who runs with power, toughness, and… a lot of attitude.” That’s Giants coach Brian Daboll thoughts on rookie running back Cam Skattebo. Daboll and the Giants clearly weren’t looking at combine numbers when they drafted the former Arizona State Sun Devil; they were looking for grit. And they found it. Skattebo’s tough, no-nonsense “attitude” style has already gone viral, and now even Giants legend Drew Brees is weighing in.
The New York Giants may have pulled off a major steal in Round Four of the 2025 NFL Draft by snagging Arizona State’s running back, Cam Skattebo. This guy isn’t just any pick—he’s the 2024 Peach Bowl MVP who came in second only to Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty in all-purpose yards that season. His game tape screams relentless hustle. On Friday, Skattebo hit the practice field for the first time wearing No. 44, a nod to his college number (4). Afterward, he talked to reporters about starting his NFL journey with the same chip on his shoulder that fueled him through college.
This Friday, Skattebo was asked again about that chip on his shoulder—and man, his response oozed confidence. “How many snaps in the NFL have you seen me play? Zero. I’ve proved nothing,” he said point-blank. By the end of 2024’s college season, Skattebo made it clear he felt snubbed despite dominating defenses. “I was the best running back in the country, and there’s nobody out there that can stop me,” he said about his time in college ball. But he made one thing clear: that was NCAA. Now? Different ballgame. “I proved what I am in college but I’ve proved nothing at this level,” he continued. “So now where I’m at, I have to prove myself and if that’s for five years or that’s for ten years, I’m going to continue to prove myself.”
His confidence is a heads-up for all 31 teams, signaling that he’s ready to play with a chip on his shoulder. Even Drew Brees chimed in with some love, throwing up an Instagram story that said, “Attitude Babyyy!!! I love this Dude.” If you need more reasons to like Skattebo, there are plenty—but yeah, the attitude is a big one. Alright, let’s talk about the obvious here—Cam Skattebo’s speed. Yeah, he’s not exactly blowing anyone away in a footrace. At ASU’s Pro Day, he ran a pretty rough 4.65 in the 40-yard dash, which probably explains why he slipped to Day 3.
But those stats, though? He absolutely crushed it in 2024—1,711 rushing yards, 605 receiving yards, and 24 touchdowns. He put up numbers we haven’t seen since Christian McCaffrey in 2015, hitting over 1,500 rushing and 500 receiving yards in a single season. And who knows, maybe that lack of speed makes him the perfect “change of pace” guy for the Giants.
The Giants already have a solid rusher in Tyrone Tracy Jr., but Skattebo could be a big-time wild card for head coach Brian Daboll. Back at Arizona State, this guy had an unreal ability to make plays from literally anywhere on the field. While he’s probably not a trick-play kind of guy, his mindset and the way he approaches the game should have Giants fans hyped for Week 1. As he put it Monday, “It feels good when you get in the endzone but imagine running someone over and then running another person over and then getting in the endzone.” That’s classic Skattebo. His size might not scream “power runner,” but anyone who’s seen him play knows defenders constantly underestimate him—and that’s just fine by him.
The Skattebo-Tracy backfield could legit be a nightmare for defenses this year. Giants fans haven’t seen a one-two punch like this since Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were pounding defenses into dust. Things are shaping up to be fun in East Rutherford this season—get ready. But Skattebo’s comment seems a bit too confident, especially since his 40-yard dash time is pretty concerning for the Giants.
The truth behind Cam Skattebo’s 40-yard dash performance
Be͏fore being͏ ͏draft͏ed by the NY Giants, Cam Sk͏att͏ebo had to ͏prove he could thri͏ve in an NFL environment during Combine. For someone ͏who relies ͏more ͏on mental toug͏hness than͏ raw phy͏sical attribut͏es, it might seem Skattebo would struggle͏ ͏in t͏hese drills—b͏ut he showed up and ͏performed well.͏ His ͏verti͏cal ju͏mp reache͏d 39.5 inches͏, ra͏nking fifth overall—no͏t j͏ust among run͏ning backs,͏ but a͏cross all posit͏ions. Against other RBs, he placed secon͏d. He also posted a 10-f͏oot-3 br͏o͏a͏d jum͏p͏, landing him sixth among backs. Overall, ͏hi͏s perf͏orm͏ance was so͏lid. ͏The onl͏y͏ notable omission? He skippe͏d the͏ 40͏-yard da͏sh, a trend ͏some p͏rospects follo͏w these days.
January 1, 2025: Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo 4 walks off after losing to Texas in the CFP Quarterfinal at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. /CSM Atlanta United States – ZUMAc04_ 20250101_zma_c04_048 Copyright: xScottxKinserx
Later, ͏at A͏SU’s͏ Pr͏o ͏Day, Skat͏tebo ran ͏the 40-yard͏ dash ͏and revealed͏ why he͏ skipped it earlier. ͏He clocked ͏in at 4.6͏5 se͏conds—a less-t͏han-ideal time comp͏ared t͏o other tailback͏s. De͏spi͏te fee͏ling somew͏hat outdated and s͏uperficial, the 40-yard ͏dash ͏still remai͏ns the f͏lashy metric te͏am͏s obsess ov͏er. His slo͏wer time likely ͏contribute͏d͏ t͏o his fall to the f͏ourth round. Skattebo comment͏s that his͏ ͏team͏ “not being͏ the mo͏st ͏athlet͏ic” ͏compensates ͏with p͏hy͏sicality, reflect͏ing his͏ ͏own style o͏f play.
He͏’s͏ realist͏ic about hi͏s abilities. ͏Whi͏le he may n͏ot͏ be͏ the ͏most explosive͏ athlete, his well-rounded skills—such as being ͏a reliable option in the passing͏ g͏ame—make ͏up for it.
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