New York Giants rookie running back Cam Skattebo has only three NFL starts to his credit, but he’s already made a massive impact on both his team and the NFL.
The former Arizona State star leads all NFL rookies with 493 yards from scrimmage and is tied with Tampa Bay’s Emeka Egbuka with in touchdowns by a rookie (5). His physical style and tough-guy swagger have endeared him to not just Giant fans, but the football masses as well.
Egbuka, a wide receiver out of National Champion Ohio State, was a first-round pick (19th overall). He’s supposed to be this good. Skattebo was a fourth-round afterthought that the Giants scooped up on Day 3 of the 2025 NFL draft. He’s now officially a draft “steal.”
Many had a feeling that Skattebo could be a hit in the NFL. After all, he carried the Sun Devils to great heights last year and had a very visible highlight reel. But then, NFL general managers are not often confused with riverboat gamblers, and Skattebo, whose outlook and attitude are contagious, didn’t come without risks.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy recently called the NFL front offices who passed on Skattebo “morons” and questioned their competence.
“My question is this: How does a guy who is unbelievable in college, and he single-handedly almost beat Texas to send [Arizona State] to the championship?” Portnoy said on Saturday during his FOX Sports spot. “He was the best running back in the country. He slips to the fourth round. I am so sick.”
Skattebo, along with fellow rookie and first-round quarterback Jaxson Dart, has injected life into a Giants franchise that has been flatlining for over a decade.
“We give people too much credit. I knew Cam Skattebo was a great player,” Portnoy said. “He loves football. He’s changed the culture of that team. We sit back with these people who collect paychecks and just assume they know what they’re doing because they watch football. You know who watches more football than they do? Me with these two eyes. I watch everything, every game, and I’m sick of people not believing.
“You go to the combine, ‘Oh, he’s got to run this, he’s gonna jump this.’ The guy is a winner, loves football, bangs his head into brick walls. Start trusting people like me. Cam Skattebo. How did he ever get to the fourth round?”
Younger Giant fans are excited for their future. Older Giant fans are taking a more cautious approach. Skattebo may be bashing his way through the league right now, but how long can he do that for? Even the game’s most punishing players get leveled out at some point.
Perhaps many of the “morons” saw this in Skattebo and that his reckless style would not translate to the NFL and would be his undoing. Time will tell, but for the moment, he’s taken the league by storm.