Heading into training camp last season, the New York Giants’ running back room didn’t exactly look like the team’s biggest strength.
The G-Men entered last season with a running back room consisting of Devin Singletary, Eric Gray, and rookie Tyrone Tracy Jr., after losing Saquon Barkley to an NFC East foe, the Philadelphia Eagles. But now, over a year later, Big Blue’s running back room heading into the 2025 campaign has a chance to be special.
After watching Tracy burst onto the scene last year as a rookie, rushing for over 800 yards, New York may have landed another sneaky-good running back late in this year’s NFL Draft when they selected Cam Skattebo out of Arizona State in the fourth round. Coming off his best collegiate season, could the 23-year-old make an instant impact for the Giants in 2025?
Cam Skattebo projected to have major impact in year one of the NFL
In an article for Bleacher Report, Brent Sobleski predicted that Skattebo could be in for a huge rookie season in the NFL for the Giants.
"The 219-pound ball-carrier is simultaneously a punishing runner and an effective weapon in both phases of the offense," Soblenski wrote.
"The Giants drafted Tyrone Tracy Jr. in last year's fifth round. He went on to become their lead back by the end of his rookie campaign. He was a wide receiver who converted to running back, though. He's still developing and really emerging in his role. At the same time, Skattebo can provide a hammer as the ideal complementary piece. He can snipe some short-yardage and goal-line carries, while providing some attitude to the New York offense."
It hasn't taken long for the rookie to get involved in the offense. He's been dominating training camp. The way he's been lighting up camp makes you wonder how he fell to the G-Men in the first place. It's no surprise that Sobleski thinks Skatt can be special. We do too.
It’s still hard to fathom that Skattebo slipped to the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, especially after his monster season at Arizona State. The 23-year-old rushed for a career-high 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging nearly six yards per carry. He also showed his versatility by adding 605 receiving yards on 45 catches with three more scores through the air.
While it’s still too early to say whether Skattebo will come anywhere close to matching those numbers in his rookie year, especially with Tracy likely locked in as the Giants’ starting running back, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rookie makes an instant impact for a Giants offense expected to be vastly improved in 2025.