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 an 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."
Tracy is indeed the more fleet-of-foot option, sporting shiftiness and a 4.48 40-yard dash. A converted wide receiver, he proved a stellar option in the short game out of the backfield as a rookie.
But while Skattebo, who ran a 4.65 40-yard dash at his pro day, may be dinged for a lack of breakaway speed, he's just as proven as a pass catcher. During his final year with the Sun Devils, he became the first FBS player since Christian McCaffrey in 2015 to tally 1,700-plus rushing yards and 500-plus receiving yards in a single season.
He's known for bruising his way to daylight, but Skattebo also has the utmost confidence in his ability to make people miss in the open field -- regardless of if anyone else does.
"This past year I didn't do it a ton," he said. "I more so hit people or attacked their one shoulder, but I mean, if people want to sleep, they can sleep. I have no issue with that. It's been something I've had to deal with my whole life, so I'm going to continue to do what I need to do to be successful and play as long as I can in this league."
Whether or not he can showcase such moves against NFL talent will be answered in the months and seasons to come. If he can, he provides New York yet another dangerous option in the backfield to assist veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston or fellow rookie Jaxson Dart.
And for the times he does initiate contact rather than trying an evasive maneuver, Skattebo sounds intent to ensure any would-be tacklers feel it.
"It feels good when you run somebody over and then get in the end zone," he said. "I mean it feels good when you get in the end zone, but imagine running someone over and then running another person over and then getting in the end zone. It's that much better."
