{"id":230837,"date":"2025-04-29T16:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-04-29T20:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=230837"},"modified":"2025-04-29T14:31:51","modified_gmt":"2025-04-29T18:31:51","slug":"cam-skattebo-could-become-a-fan-favorite-in-new-york","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/04\/29\/cam-skattebo-could-become-a-fan-favorite-in-new-york\/","title":{"rendered":"4th Round Pick Could End Up Being a Fan Favorite"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tough defense, power run game, and hard-nosed players define the <\/span>Giants<\/a>‘<\/span> long-lasting legacy.\u00a0 Aside from star players, their four Super Bowl championships featured gritty players like Otis Anderson, Carl Banks, Antonio Pierce, Brandon Jacobs, and Ahmad Bradshaw. None of these players are household NFL<\/a> names. However,\u00a0 they have cemented their legacy with Big Blue because they played with <\/span>heart,<\/span> passion, and churned out extra yards and stops in crucial situations. Furthermore, they were the players who helped blur the line between playoff wins and losses. <\/span>That\u2019s<\/span> how they became fan favorites. <\/span>Now,<\/span> Arizona State running back<\/a> Cam Skattebo could turn into a fan favorite.<\/span><\/p>\n

4th Round Pick Could End Up Being a Fan Favorite<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cam Skattebo\u2019s Running Style\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Last week, the Giants selected Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo<\/a> in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft<\/a>. Skattebo is a bruising, punishing runner with nearly 1200 yards after contact in 2024. In addition, he rushed for a total of 1,258 yards and an astounding 19 touchdowns in 2024. <\/span>He alone,<\/span> in many ways, carried Arizona State and was the difference between winning and losing.<\/span>\u00a0 His rough, physical style is infectious among teammates. <\/span>The 5<\/span>’10”<\/span> bruiser never shies from contact and, <\/span>in<\/span> some cases,<\/span> welcomes linebackers in the open field.<\/span>\u00a0 Although <\/span>Skattebo has yet to step on the field,\u00a0 his highlights are already scattering through Giants fans <\/span>and reminding<\/span> them of the days of Brandon Jacobs and Otis Anderson.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even in a modern NFL,\u00a0 Skattebo is the type of running back that will thrive in blue-collar New York. While <\/span>he\u2019s<\/span> not a flashy runner <\/span>by any means<\/span>, he will effectively contrast with incumbent starter Tyrone <\/a><\/span>Tracy\u2019s<\/span> style. In a city <\/span>and<\/span> a fanbase that values grit and grind, Skattebo could immediately become a fan favorite in New York.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Skattebo’s Grit and Determination<\/h3>\n

Where Skattebo lacks <\/span>in<\/span> athleticism, he makes up with grit.<\/span> He runs with a downhill mentality and <\/span>is insistent<\/span> on absorbing contact for extra yards. His lack of speed quells any expectations for 20+ yard runs, but fans should <\/span>certainly<\/span> expect more short-yard conversions. The Giants converted on <\/span>just<\/span> 36.6% of third and two yards or less and 45.6% of fourth down with two yards or less. Both of which were at the bottom of the league. <\/span>Skattebo\u2019s<\/span> downhill attitude and willingness to fight for<\/span> \u201c<\/span>dirty yards<\/span>\u201d <\/span>will make him a third-and-short specialist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

However, Skattebo <\/span>won\u2019t<\/span> be limited to just a short-yardage role in the NFL. The Arizona State product is a sneaky factor in the receiving game. In 2024, he had 506 receiving yards on 56 catches to go along with three touchdowns. He <\/span>isn\u2019t<\/span> considered a high-end threat out of the backfield, but his precise route running makes him a check-down option for Wilson<\/a> and the rest of the Giants’ quarterbacks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/BobbySkinner_\/status\/1916861958717907151<\/a><\/p>\n

Skattebo\u2019s<\/span> story<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Cam <\/span>Skattebo\u2019s<\/span> underdog mentality <\/span>is something that<\/span> will strongly resonate with New York Giants fans, who have long embraced players who succeed through grit and determination rather than hype and pedigree.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Coming out of high school as a zero-star recruit with no <\/span>major<\/span> offers, Skattebo <\/span>wasn\u2019t<\/span> supposed to be a star. Yet through hard work, toughness, and relentless effort, he not only earned his place at Sacramento State but eventually transferred to Arizona State and became one of the top running backs in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Over the years, <\/span>Giants fans have always <\/span>had a deep appreciation for<\/span> overlooked players who rise above expectations. Names like Victor Cruz and Ahmad Bradshaw still hold weight because of their similar underdog stories.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Skattebo\u2019s<\/span> bruising running style, versatility, and no-nonsense approach to the game make him an easy player for the blue-collar New York fan base to root for. He <\/span>doesn\u2019t<\/span> just play football. Skattebo fights for every yard, and <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span> the kind of effort that speaks loudest in New York.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Hopefully, i<\/span>t <\/span>won\u2019t<\/span> be long until Cam Skattebo becomes a Giants fan-favorite and <\/span>the sounds of<\/span> \u2018<\/span>boo<\/span>\u2019 <\/span>resonate through Metlife Stadium.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo: [Michael Chow\/The Republic] – USA Today Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Giants selected running back Cam Skattebo in the NFL Draft, and he could very quickly become a fan favorite in New York.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5408,"featured_media":230854,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,20],"tags":[33114,61,92,40,1173],"class_list":["post-230837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-giants","tag-cam-skattebo","tag-football","tag-new-york-giants","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-draft"],"modified_by":"Michael Zimmelman","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5408"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230837"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":230855,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230837\/revisions\/230855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230854"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}