From folk hero at Arizona State to rookie in the Big Apple, Cam Skattebo is ready to prove himself all over again.
A fifth-place finisher in Heisman Trophy voting last season, Skattebo is fresh off a collegiate campaign in which he tallied 2,316 yards from scrimmage with 24 touchdowns. Those numbers, however prolific, mean nothing for what he might accomplish with the New York Giants.
“How many snaps of the NFL have you seen me play? Zero, right? I’ve proved nothing,” Skatebo said Friday during rookie minicamp, per team transcript. “I’ve proved what I am in college, but I’ve proved nothing at this level. So now where I’m at, I have to prove myself and if that’s for five years or if that’s for 10 years, I’m going to continue to prove myself.”
As a Day 3 pick, selected No. 105 overall in the draft’s fourth round, Skattebo’s outlook is exactly what he needs as he begins his hopeful voyage up Big Blue’s depth chart.
He joins a RB room led by Tyrone Tracy Jr., who as a fifth-round rookie last year eventually usurped Devin Singletary as the team’s top runner, posting 839 rushing yards and five touchdowns with another 284 receiving yards and a score on 38 catches.
Singletary, a sure runner who perhaps lacks the bells and whistles of some other ball-carriers, could also factor into the Giants’ plans on the ground, but it is enticing to envision a young duo of Tracy and Skattebo laying waste to opposing defenses.
“He’s a really fast running back and there’s nothing about his game that you can take away from,” Skattebo said of Tracy when asked about their potential one-two punch. “He might be a little faster than me, so if you want to call it thunder and lightning, go ahead.”