Currently being drafted, on average, as RB38 in early one-year Apex drafts, Cam Skattebo is going far too late. Despite being a fourth-round pick in the NFL Draft, he is an elite prospect with minimal competition, making him a potential league winner in 2025 fantasy leagues.
TL;DR
- Cam Skattebo reached rarified air as a prospect, breaking tackles and producing at historical levels
- Despite a sub-optimal 40 time, he demonstrated excellent measurable burst and excelled as a receiving back
- As the most promising player without great competition in the Giants’ 2025 backfield, he could be a league winner
The Prospect
Skattebo began his career at Sacramento State. As a true freshman, he only received 57 carries but exploded for 520 yards (9.1 yards per carry).
In his sophomore season, he broke out with over 1,373 rushing yards and 31 receptions, averaging an impressive 7.26 yards per carry. In just two seasons, Skattebo ranks 10th all-time in career rushing yards at Sacramento State. His career average of 7.48 yards per carry is the best in school history. As Scott Barrett points out, Skattebo averaged 0.42 missed tackles forced per touch (MTF/T) — the 6th-most by any FCS RB with at least 150 carries in the past five years (97th percentile).
Before his junior season, Skattebo transferred to Arizona State, where he dominated touches with an excellent 79% dominator rating. He also caught 24 passes for 286 yards. While ASU struggled, Skattebo excelled in the advanced metrics, averaging 0.36 MTF/T (92nd percentile), the third-best single-season mark among Power Conference RBs in this class.
His senior year was historic: 1,711 rushing yards, 45 receptions for 605 yards, and 24 touchdowns. His 1,144 yards after contact in 2024 were the most by any Power Conference running back in the last five years. He also forced 115 missed tackles — the most ever charted in a single season by PFF College. This is especially important, considering missed tackles are one of the best indicators for beating draft position.
All FBS RBs in CFB history with 1,600+ rushing yards and 600+ receiving yards in a single season:
+ 2015 Christian McCaffrey
+ 2024 Cam Skattebo
/end of list— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) January 30, 2025
Only 6th-overall pick Ashton Jeanty outgained Skattebo in total yards from scrimmage (2,739 vs. 2,316) and yards from scrimmage per team play (2.82 vs. 2.38). Against tougher competition, Skattebo held his own against Jeanty in several key metrics.
Career scrimmage yards per game
141 – Ashton Jeanty
135 – Cam Skattebo2024 scrimmage yards per game
196 – Jeanty
178 – SkatteboCareer rushing success rate
50% – Skattebo
46% – JeantyCareer avoided tackle rate
38% – Jeanty
35% – SkatteboSkattebo played 11 of 13 games vs.… pic.twitter.com/OKnignzO7z
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) April 4, 2025
As a receiver, no RB generated more yards after the catch than Skattebo. He ranked 6th among all Power Conference players, regardless of position, in YAC (571).
Most Receiving Yards After The Catch (2024)
+ Power Conference-Only1. TE Tyler Warren (693)
2. WR Josh Kelly (605)
3. WR Tez Johnson (604)
4. WR Kyle Williams (590)
4. WR Tai Felton (590)
6. RB Cam Skattebo (571) 👀
…
40. YACgod Luther Burden (373)— Scott Barrett (@ScottBarrettDFB) April 14, 2025
His receiving production is insane. Among all seasons from a Power Conference RB in this year’s stacked class, Skattebo’s 2024 ranks: 1st by receiving yardage market share, receiving yards per team pass attempt, and yards per route run. By YACO/A and MTF/A, he ranked in the 82nd and 93rd percentiles among all Day 1-2 RBs this past decade.
Lack of Athleticism
You might be asking, “If he’s so good, why did he fall to the fourth round?” Fair question.
Skattebo didn’t run at the combine due to a reported hamstring injury and clocked a disappointing 4.65 at his Pro Day. This likely hurt his draft stock, in addition to concerns about whether his rugged running style and heavy collegiate workload might lead to a shortened NFL career. He did at least record an 89th percentile burst score at the combine.
Still, his production suggests that his game will translate to the pros—even if he isn’t a straight-line burner.
The Giants Backfield
While Skattebo enters the NFL in an elite 2025 rookie running back class, Skattebo’s primary competition, Tyrone Tracy, entered the NFL in a poor one. Still, the Giants selected Skattebo 105th overall, while Tracy was selected 166th overall in last year’s NFL Draft. Amazingly, he’ll already be 26 years old this season – the same age as D’Andre Swift, who was drafted in 2020.
Tracy, despite beginning his career as a wide receiver, never reached Skattebo’s 45 receptions or 605 receiving yards. As a sixth-year senior at Purdue, he had fewer carries than teammate Devin Mockobee (113 vs. 172), and they tied in receptions with Tracy gaining 48 fewer yards.
It’s not truly a fair comparison because Tracy was a wide receiver until his fifth collegiate season. Still, Tracy only topped 45 touches in his final season, with 132 touches (achieving a 34% dominator rating). Skattebo had 69 touches as a true freshman and then at least 227, 188, and 338 in the following three seasons.
Considering all these factors, it’s impressive that Tracy became such a large part of the Giants’ backfield last season. Although he certainly passed the eye test and seemingly played well, Tracy’s advanced metrics didn’t paint a favorable picture. Out of 41 qualifying running backs with at least 113 rushing attempts, here’s how Tracy ranked in the following metrics.
| Player | YdsAftCont/Att | Att/BrkTkl | RYOE/Att | reFPOE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyrone Tracy | 38 of 41 | 38 of 41 | 30 of 41 | 34 of 41 |
Per Pro Football Reference, Tracy’s 1.7 yards after contact per attempt fell below the league average of 1.9. Tracy also struggled to break tackles, finishing ahead of only Travis Etienne, D’Andre Swift, and Javonte Williams in attempts per broken tackle.
| Player | Age | Team | G | Att | Yds | YBC | YBC/Att | YAC | YAC/Att | BrkTkl | Att/Br |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travis Etienne | 25 | JAX | 15 | 150 | 558 | 283 | 1.9 | 275 | 1.8 | 3 | 50 |
| D'Andre Swift | 25 | CHI | 17 | 253 | 959 | 511 | 2 | 448 | 1.8 | 7 | 36.1 |
| Javonte Williams | 24 | DEN | 17 | 139 | 513 | 258 | 1.9 | 255 | 1.8 | 4 | 34.8 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. | 25 | NYG | 17 | 192 | 839 | 511 | 2.7 | 328 | 1.7 | 6 | 32 |
| Breece Hall | 23 | NYJ | 16 | 209 | 876 | 432 | 2.1 | 444 | 2.1 | 7 | 29.9 |
| De'Von Achane | 23 | MIA | 17 | 203 | 907 | 486 | 2.4 | 421 | 2.1 | 7 | 29 |
| Kareem Hunt | 29 | KAN | 13 | 200 | 728 | 399 | 2 | 329 | 1.6 | 7 | 28.6 |
| Aaron Jones | 30 | MIN | 17 | 255 | 1138 | 614 | 2.4 | 524 | 2.1 | 11 | 23.2 |
| Rico Dowdle | 26 | DAL | 16 | 235 | 1079 | 570 | 2.4 | 509 | 2.2 | 11 | 21.4 |
| Jonathan Taylor | 25 | IND | 14 | 303 | 1431 | 859 | 2.8 | 572 | 1.9 | 15 | 20.2 |
Per Next Gen Stats, Tracy also underwhelmed in rush yards over expectation (RYOE), underperforming by 14 yards.
Even as a receiver, Tracy fell short. Among RBs with 113 carries, he had the 8th-lowest receiving fantasy points over expected (reFPOE) per RotoViz.
| PLAYER | TEAM | SEAS | reEP | reYDS | reRECS | reTRGS | reFPOE | reFPOEPA | reYPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Pollard | TEN | 2024 | 80.9 | 238 | 41 | 57 | -16.1 | -0.28 | 4.2 |
| Kareem Hunt | KC | 2024 | 56.7 | 176 | 23 | 33 | -16.1 | -0.49 | 5.3 |
| Javonte Williams | DEN | 2024 | 93.7 | 296 | 49 | 66 | -15.1 | -0.23 | 4.5 |
| Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 2024 | 81.1 | 171 | 43 | 55 | -15 | -0.27 | 3.1 |
| Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 2024 | 63.2 | 164 | 33 | 41 | -7.8 | -0.19 | 4 |
| Travis Etienne | JAC | 2024 | 65.4 | 225 | 36 | 47 | -6.9 | -0.15 | 4.8 |
| J.K. Dobbins | LAC | 2024 | 48.5 | 131 | 29 | 35 | -6.4 | -0.18 | 3.7 |
| Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG | 2024 | 76 | 277 | 36 | 52 | -6.3 | -0.12 | 5.3 |
| Joe Mixon | HOU | 2024 | 77.2 | 304 | 35 | 52 | -5.8 | -0.11 | 5.8 |
| Jonathan Taylor | IND | 2024 | 40.6 | 133 | 17 | 29 | -4.3 | -0.15 | 4.6 |
Per Giants beat writer Conner Hughes on Skattebo, “Don’t be surprised if he ends up as the team’s third-down back. He’s a capable blocker, but very good as a receiver out of the backfield… He might be the Giants’ most talented receiving back.”
Tracy, by contrast, struggled as a blocker last year, with a 35.1 PFF pass block grade.
In Summary
Cam Skattebo is coming off one of the most impressive collegiate seasons we’ve ever seen from a running back. He was productive at multiple stops and excelled in advanced metrics. Despite lacking elite athleticism, his on-field performance speaks volumes.
Unlike Skattebo, Tyrone Tracy wasn’t an elite prospect and posted poor efficiency metrics. With minimal competition, Skattebo could be this year’s version of Bucky Irving — an undervalued rookie with league-winning upside.
