NY Giants RB Cam Skattebo Proving He Could Be a Handful for Defenses

New York Giants running back Cam Skattebo is only 5-foot-11, but does he ever pack a punch when he runs.

That’s what members of the Giants defense are quickly finding out about the rookie, who, after being sidelined for most of the OTAs and the mandatory minicamp, has had a hot start to his first NFL training camp.

Skattebo has already made an impression as a receiving option out of the backfield, where so long as the ball is in his area code, he’s going to haul it in.

But in case anyone was wondering if all that power running he did at Arizona State wouldn’t translate to the NFL, so far, so good. 

“He was a physical player, first and foremost, head coach Brian Daboll said before the team's first padded practice on Monday. “When you watch the tape, he’s a hard guy to bring down when he has the ball in his hands. 

“He's got good hands, he's got soft hands. … He's a low-level, gets his pads down, runs hard. Looking forward to watching him run today.”

Skattebo likely didn’t disappoint Daboll and the rest of the coaching staff. In the practice, which placed a heavy focus on the running game, he ripped off a 40-yard run to the outside, leaving defensive teammates in the dust. 

On another run, he patiently waited for a block to come from guard Evan Neal before bouncing the run just outside of Neal’s hip.

“He showed he got a little dog,” said outside linebacker Brian Burns of Skattebo, the Giants’ fourth-round draft pick this year. “He runs tough, he runs behind his pads. I didn’t really get a head-to-head with him yet, but from what I hear, alright, we’ll see.”