The 49ers considered selecting current New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo during the 2025 NFL Draft.

Coach Kyle Shanahan briefly touched on San Francisco’s interest in the recently injured star with reporters at 49ers practice on Thursday in Santa Clara.

“Yes, we did, and we loved him,” Shanahan said of the team’s interest in Skattebo. “He was awesome.”

Skattebo sure was “awesome” after collecting 5,772 all-purpose yards and 51 touchdowns over four collegiate seasons — his first two years at Sacramento State and last two at Arizona State.

Nonetheless, the Giants ended up selecting Skattebo in the fourth round with the No. 105 pick; the 49ers took cornerback Upton Stout five picks earlier and decided on Oregon running back Jordan James at pick No. 147 to support All-Pro Christian McCaffrey.

Skattebo grew up in Rio Linda, about 10 miles north of Sacramento, and also had an interest in playing for San Francisco — essentially his hometown team — at the time of the draft.

In fact, Skattebo thought the 49ers were going to draft him before the Giants ultimately did.

“I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick,” Skattebo told Equanimeous and Amon-Ra St. Brown on the “St. Brown Podcast” in May. “Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on and no phone call.

“So we woke up 9 a.m. the next morning … and we knew it was going be within the first 10 picks because the Niners, the Giants, Tennessee [Titans] and somebody else had another pick back to back to back, and I knew one of those teams was going to take me. I didn’t know which one. And then the Giants called.”

McCaffrey and Skattebo likely would’ve formed one of the Bay’s most stellar duos since Steph Curry and Klay Thompson formed the Splash Brothers for the nearby Warriors.

One could even argue that Skattebo, unfortunately, would fit right in with the injury-riddled 49ers after he suffered a gruesome ankle injury in Week 8 to spoil what was a stellar rookie campaign in the Big Apple.

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