The New York Giants have room to add another running back during the 2025 NFL draft, all the better if it’s a hard charger from a deep and talented class. Fortunately, Big Blue can use a compensatory pick to take the perfect prospect, a would-be rookie who compares favorably to versatile Pittsburgh Steelers veteran Jaylen Warren.
Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo should be the reward for the Giants’ 99th overall pick. That’s according to NFL.com Draft Analyst Chad Reuter.
He has the Giants adding the punishing runner to a three-round haul of Penn State edge-rusher Abdul Carter with the third pick, followed by taking North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel at 34 and Louisville quarterback Tyler Slough 65th overall. Those picks would beef up both sides of the trenches and add a potential QB of the future, but the offense still needs another dynamic and productive skill player.
If that’s not going to be a wide receiver, then Skattebo represents a worthy consolation prize. His pro comparisons indicate the former Sun Devils star can add what’s missing to New York’s rushing attack.
Jaylen Warren Not the Only Worthy Pro Comparison for Cam Skattebo
Reuter’s colleague Lance Zierlein sees elements of Warren in Skattebo’s game. Zierlein also describes Skattebo as a “carnage creator with a compact frame and elite contact balance. Skattebo can break through second-level tacklers and careen off of bodies for extended yards after contact.”
Beating up defenses is the defining feature of Skattebo’s game. It’s something he shares with a legend of the 2010s.
The comparison to Marshawn Lynch, known as “Beast Mode” during his playing days, was noted by Terrell Owens, one of the most prolific wideouts in NFL history.
I’ve been seeing snippets of this kid @camskattebo5 the last couple of years and after today I AM A CAM SKATTEBO fan!!!
He’s a dog!!! Respectfully, He’s the white version of @MoneyLynch BEASTMODE!! ✊🏾
Whether Lynch or Warren best fits Skattebo’s style, he can provide the power element missing from Big Blue’s ground game since Saquon Barkley bolted to NFC East rivals the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason. Some think the Giants should go for broke and replace Barkley with a three-down stud at No. 3, but finding a productive runner makes sense for a team with this many needs.
It worked a year ago when Giants general manager Joe Schoen found value in the fifth round.
Giants Can Repeat Late-Round Success at Running Back
Taking Tyrone Tracy Jr. 166th overall in 2024 proved a minor masterstroke from Schoen. Tracy proved himself a breakout weapon with record-breaking talents.
A lot of his success came courtesy of natural acceleration and true breakaway speed, but the Giants need a more forceful complement to the former Purdue star. The search for some thunder to combine with Tracy’s lightning has led the Giants to a pair of prominent draft RBs.
Skattebo is a more niche option as a true bruising bell-cow. His ability to shed contact between the tackles would add the versatility the Giants need on the ground.
A double act of Skattebo and Tracy can be the ideal buttress to the efforts of a trio of gifted wide receivers, led by last season’s rookie sensation Malik Nabers. Together, this quintet of playmakers could be counted on to ease the pressure on veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston to play like franchise passers.
Bolstering their supporting cast for the cheap cost of another late-round find would represent fine draft work from Schoen.
