Cam Skattebo thought the 49ers would draft him

Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo was selected by the New York Giants with the 105th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But as the third round unfolded, Skattebo believed he was about to land much closer to home—with the San Francisco 49ers.

Skattebo, who grew up in Rio Linda, California—just 130 miles from Levi's Stadium—thought the 49ers were going to give him a call as pick No. 100 approached.

"I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick," Skattebo said this week on Equanimeous and Amon-Ra St. Brown's podcast, per Joaquin Ruiz of NBC Sports Bay Area. "Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on, and no phone call."

Instead, the 49ers used the No. 100 pick to select cornerback Upton Stout, wrapping up Day 2 of their draft. Skattebo didn't have to wait long on Day 3, though—he was taken with the third pick of the fourth round by the Giants.

"So we woke up at 9:00 a.m. the next morning on Saturday, and we knew it was going be within the first 10 picks because the Niners, the Giants, Tennessee, and somebody else had another pick back to back to back, and I knew one of those teams were going to take me. I didn't know which one. And then the Giants called."

San Francisco did eventually draft a running back—Jordan James of Oregon—in the fifth round. They also signed Cincinnati standout Corey Kiner as an undrafted free agent, adding to their already competitive backfield.

Skattebo, who met with the 49ers during the NFL Scouting Combine, was confident San Francisco had serious interest. His belief that the 49ers were a likely destination suggests the team remained in consistent contact leading up to the draft.

The former Sun Devil had an outstanding senior season, rushing for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns, while also contributing 605 receiving yards and three touchdowns through the air.