Matt Citak: Since John covered Dart and the quarterback situation, I’ll pivot to elsewhere in the backfield. The Giants found a steal in last year’s draft with the selection of running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. in the fifth round (No. 166 overall). Tracy finished second among rookie running backs with 839 rushing yards on the season, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Bucky Irving, while averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Now the question is how does this year’s fourth-round pick, running back Cam Skattebo, fit into the equation?
“Today obviously we started off with Skattebo, one of our favorite players in the draft, just the way he plays, the mentality he plays with, the toughness, the competitiveness, the grit,” general manager Joe Schoen said to open up his press conference after Day 3 of the draft. “Good hands out of the backfield, as well. Just a darned good football player, so we were excited to get him.”
Skattebo is coming off an outstanding campaign with the Sun Devils. He set new school records with his 1,711 rushing yards and 2,316 total yards from scrimmage, and finished second in the nation in both categories (behind only Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty). According to Pro Football Focus, he also ranked second in the nation behind Jeanty in missed tackles forced on runs with 102. On top of that, Skattebo became the first running back since Christian McCaffrey in 2015 to reach 1,500+ rushing yards and 500+ receiving yards in a season, all while averaging 5.8 yards per carry and scoring 24 total touchdowns.
The addition of Skattebo in the backfield now gives the Giants another talented running back capable of not only running well, but also catching the football. Of course, Tracy is only a couple of years removed from playing wide receiver in college, as he’s only been playing running back full time for two full seasons now. He’s joined by Skattebo, who caught 69 passes for 891 yards and four touchdowns over his two seasons at Arizona State. Additionally, Skattebo provides the Giants with a battering ram option in the run game. The rookie running back embraces contact, using his physicality to run over defenders while trying to pick up extra yards. He is a great complement to Tracy, who relies more on his elusiveness to force missed tackles. The two backs give the Giants quite a strong 1-2 punch in the run game, with each player boasting different strengths from the other, something the offense hasn’t had in years.
“He plays with great contact balance. He’s tough as nails,” coach Brian Daboll said after drafting Skattebo. “You can use him a variety of ways. Pass game, he can catch, he can run routes, he can throw the ball, as you’ve seen on one of those, and he’s got very good vision and quick feet. He’s a 220-pound back who runs with power, toughness and has the type of personality that I think Joe did a great job of along with the scouts of bringing in guys that have a lot of toughness.”