Cam Skattebo Receives Big Judgement on Football Future While Former HC Kenny Dillingham Faces ASU Struggles

A player’s ascension from the collegiate level to the NFL is a gradual, piecemeal process. The first step of the process is, of course, proving you’re actually worthy of the ascension through college. Then comes the Combine, the ultimate prognosis of both your tangibles and intangibles. Step #3 is the draft itself, as players learn which franchise will be the backdrop of their foray into the professional game. New York Football Giant Cam Skattebo currently stands at this juncture. Now, instinctively, you may think that’s the process complete. But there’s one thing left: Legitimizing that you belong. Becoming a contributor and not a mere name on the depth chart. Gratification for this last step takes years, but there is an instantaneous checkpoint- becoming a year 1 starter. Something Skattebo is hoping to achieve and has been taking strides towards, according to a prominent voice in the media.

The career of a running back is relatively short compared to other position groups. Owing to the nature of the skillset and its dependency on athleticism, you cannot be as potent with age. Need enough tread on those tyres. So, in an ideal world, you maximize your tailbacks by using them right from their rookie seasons. But Cam Skattebo arrives at the Giants as a Day 3 pick. Meaning the franchise hasn’t exactly parted with a lot of resources in terms of draft capital and so there’s no urgency to get a return on their investment. This creates a conundrum around Skattebo and whether he’ll be a prominent feature in the backfield this season. Revered draft analysts Todd McShay and Steve Muench have weighed in on this conundrum.

As draft analysts who break down College Football film and shed their expertise for a living, it’s no surprise that the pair of them are massive proponents of Cam Skattebo. Anybody who had the privilege of seeing him in an ASU Sun Devils jersey knows what he’s about. As such, Steve Muench reckons the 5th-placed Heisman finalist is the best RB in the Giants facility. He also thinks Skattebo’s talent needs to be reciprocated with the requisite usage. Speaking on The Todd McShay Show, Muench said, “Cam Skattebo should be their No.1 back. He’s that guy, he’s the guy you can give 30 carries a game. He’s going to help you in the passing game, too.” He proceeded to speak on why Skattebo’s 4th round selection shouldn’t be a factor once you account for the context of how stacked this year’s running back class was.

“Even though Skattebo was taken in the fourth round, that’s when we really saw the run on running backs. There [were] a lot of talented guys there, and the Giants clearly targeted Skattebo because of his skill set. Which is [that] he is going to run dudes over. He’s going to carry guys for yards, he’s going to run through tackles. And again, you’ve seen it. He can carry that heavy workload,” said Steve Muench. Cam Skattebo’s, and by extension the ASU offense’s, modus operandi was en route to the Big 12 championship and CFP was straightforward: Run the threads off the football. Hence the reference to a “heavy workload.” Skattebo isn’t the quickest. Nor is he the most agile, someone who can juke you for extra yardage. His USP is his physicality and brute strength. Which Todd McShay says is exactly what Giants HC Brian Daboll seeks.

“I know this. Brian Dabel loves this guy, he’s looking for a guy who’s [got] this kind of makeup and mentality and power rushing for his offense. So [Skattebo] is going to get every shot to get his carries and more,” resounded McShay. The Giants’ offense is in a state of flux right now, which stems from their lack of clarity at the quarterback spot. They’ve got a Super Bowl champ, a former No. 1 pick and a new first-round draft pick in that QB room. But things are a lot more nuanced than those descriptions imply. Coach Daboll will certainly hope to lean on his running game to move the sticks, at least initially. Cam Skattebo sure could benefit from this. But while things project well for him out on the East Coast, his alma mater, Arizona State, is going through the not-so-welcome byproducts of their separation.

Cam Skattebo’s leaves behind a difficult void to fill for Kenny Dillingham & ASU

Cam Skattebo was a Swiss Army knife for HC Kenny Dillingham’s Sun Devils. His contributions extended beyond running the football with his legs. Skattebo even caught passes from his QB Sam Leavitt, blocked for him and was a figurehead for ASU from a leadership standpoint. Heck, he even doubled as a quarterback himself and aired that pigskin for a touchdown against Texas in the Peach Bowl. A game that was his magnum opus for ASU, and a microcosm of how multi-faceted his imprint on the team was. Naturally, there’s no direct replacement for a player like him now that he’s bid adieu to Tempe, AZ.

Coach Dillingham has tried to replace Cam Skattebo with Kanye Udoh via the transfer portal from the Army Black Knights. He’s a different mould, a different archetype of  tailback. But that doesn’t mean he can’t come close to matching Skattebo in terms of production. If you can run the football for 1,117 yards at a service academy, when every defensive coordinator knows that’s the game plan, you’re a very good RB. So, albeit Kanye Udoh isn’t as multi-dimensional as his predecessor, he does do the main thing very well. ASU is bound to miss Skattebo, but they’ve substantiated the loss as best they could. As for Skattebo himself, he’ll hope to be just as impactful for his new team on the next rung of the football ladder.

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