Drafting Cam Skattebo: Why projecting Arizona State star running back's NFL future should not be this difficult

Bill Bender

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Drafting Cam Skattebo: Why projecting Arizona State star running back's NFL future should not be this difficult image

Arizona State running backs coach Shaun Aguano knows the most frequent Cam Skattebo description when it comes to play style.  

A bowling ball, of course. The trick with Skattebo – a 5-9, 219-pound running back – is to look beyond that typecast. Aguano – who also coached NFL running backs Eno Benjamin and Rachaad White – recognizes Skattebo is one of the most intriguing running back prospects in this draft because of that style. 

"A lot of people talk about a bowling ball as probably that bigger roly-poly guy," Aguano told Sporting News. "Well, Skatt is not a roly-poly guy. He is a fit, 500-, 600-hundred pound squat guy in the weight room. He just keeps rolling downhill with a good body lean, and he doesn't think he can be stopped by the first tackler. It's been very unusual that somebody has done that."

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Unusual. Maybe that is a better description. Skattebo had 2,316 all-purpose yards for the Sun Devils in 2024 – which ranked between a pair of projected first-round picks in Boise State's Ashton Jeanty (2,750) and North Carolina's Omarion Hampton (2,033). Skattebo is projected to land anywhere from Round 3 – which is Sporting News' projection in its latest seven-round NFL Mock Draft – to Day 3 – where ESPN's Mel Kiper projects the Sun Devils star to be selected in the fourth round. 

"Skattebo to me, I think he is the eighth or ninth best back in this draft, and in this draft that would put him in the fourth-round mix right now," Kiper told SN. 

Sirius XM college analyst Jacob Hester – a former running back who led LSU to a national championship with 1,103 rushing yards and 11 TDs in 2007 – knows this path. Hester was a third-round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. Hester does not understand why Skattebo is being devalued in the draft process. 

"I am a little surprised he is not getting more love in the pre-draft lead-up just because I truly think he can stay on the field for all three downs, which you almost have to be now, in the NFL," Hester told SN. "We saw in the bowl game against Texas in the playoff what he can do catching the football, running routes. Obviously he's a dynamic runner, but also I'm a little surprised because he's very good in pass protection, too." 

So how do we best describe Skattebo's path to success in the NFL?

MORE: SN's latest NFL Mock Draft with player comps

Cam Skattebo's breakout year at Arizona State leads to surprise NFL comp 

Skattebo spent his first three seasons at Sacramento State in the FCS. Skattebo transferred to Arizona State and had a solid junior season with 783 rushing yards and nine TDs during a 3-9 season. 

Yet his senior season took off on Sept. 7, 2024, in a Week 2 matchup with Mississippi State. Skattebo logged 33 carries for 262 yards and three catches for 35 yards in a game that had a 101-degree game-time temperature. Arizona State won 30-23. Aguano said that game best described Skattebo's competitive streak. 

"We don't like to do that because we want to keep tread on their tires for the season, but we were on such a roll and he wanted to get that done," Aguano said. "He knew he wanted to make sure his conditioning was right. We just kept him in, and he relished every moment of it."

Quarterback Sam Leavitt and Skattebo were the driving forces in Arizona State's Big 12 championship run. That led to a matchup against No. 5 Texas in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Jan. 1. Skattebo had 30 carries for 143 yards and two TDs. He had eight catches for 99 yards and threw a 42-yard TD on a half-back pass – all while playing through a vomiting fit on the sideline. 

He was the Offensive MVP despite the fact Arizona State lost 39-31 in double overtime – an all-time bowl game performance. What else impressed Hester in that game? 

"The guy is lining up at receiver in the College Football Playoff and running by DBs – really good, all-conference DBs at that," Hester said.

Hester references that game often when describing Skattebo, whose draft prognostication has become a crapshoot since January. 

"He's getting put into this certain box of what he can be instead of thinking what he might be," Hester said. "Why don't you go watch the Texas game? That was one of the best defenses in college football. I knew it. You knew it. Everybody in the stadium knew he was getting the ball. We all knew he was getting the ball, and Texas couldn't stop it."

What is one of those boxes? Several white NFL running backs with Skattebo's skillset are held to the Mike Alstott standard. Alstott was a six-time Pro Bowl fullback who played 11 seasons with Tampa Bay from 1996-2007 who was known for his punishing running style. 

Hester remembers that conversation when he was drafted in 2008, one year after Rutgers' Brian Leonard was taken with a second-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft. Hester, however, said those comparisons do not apply when finding the right NFL comp for Skattebo.

"He has a lot of Josh Jacobs in his game, and go look at Josh last year highly, highly productive," Hester said. "One of the best running backs in the NFL, and his longest run was 38 yards. Not every running back is going to be a home-run hitter." 

Jacobs, for what it's worth, is 5-foot-10 and 223 pounds. Aguano also emphasized that Skattebo does not get recognized enough for his football IQ. 

"He understands the run the game – the why of the all the mid-zone counters. He understands the blocking schemes," Aguano said. "He also understands protection – probably understands better than anyone we had on our team besides the quarterback. He had the authority to change protections on the run." 

That is not even the best part of Skattebo's game either. 

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What is Cam Skattebo's greatest strength ahead of 2025 NFL Draft? 

Let's get back to the bowling ball comparison. Running between the tackles is more like a pin-ball machine – where even a low-center-of-gravity-back like Skattebo can get knocked over. That is when you hear a pre-draft catch-phrase: "Contact balance." 

"It's hard because his contact balance is so amazing," Agauno said. "He's probably running about two to three yards off the ground, and you know his contact balance and his explosion on contact separates him from everyone else. It's hard to find running backs that have that explosion." 

The statistics back that up. According to Pro Football Focus, Skattebo had 1,202 yards after contact, which ranked third in the FBS behind Jeanty (1,970) and Hampton (1,222). Skattebo had 103 missed tackles forced, which ranked second behind Jeanty (152). That is the contact balance at work. 

To illustrate that, Hester uses another comparison here from his time as a special teams player with the Chargers. That was an era where Devin Hester, DeSean Jackson and Joshua Cribbs were among the top returners, but Jacob Hester had trouble squaring a Patriots punt returner.  

"When I'm watching Cam and I'm talking contact balance, Julian Edelman had it," Hester said. "Julian Edelman could be an inch from the ground, he could be two feet from the ground, he could one hand on the ground, his butt is almost touching, he is spinning out, and it's like, 'Wait a minute? I just wrapped this guy up and slung him, and he found a way to look like he was break dancing to stay up?' Cam has that. He can save himself from hitting the ground and keep it going forward where it is still like a football move and he never really stops." 

Is Cam Skattebo's 40-time a red flag? 

Skattebo – like Jeanty and Hampton – produces at a first-round clip. So, why are we talking about Day 3? 

"People don't think I'm as fast as I am," Skattebo said at the NFL Scouting Combine via Fox Sports. "I am fast. I (just like to) punish the defender because they don't want to do it for four quarters."

Skattebo did not attend the Reese's Senior Bowl. He did not run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and reportedly ran a 4.57 at an indoor session at Arizona State on March 27. Aguano stood with NFL scouts on the sideline and did not see any major concerns about that 40 time.

"You know his 10-yard (split) and 20-yard was elite," Aguano said. "He's not a 40-yard guy that has run track before. His best explosion in space is probably between the one- and 20-yard mark. That's where he makes most of his dough."

Skattebo also is being sued by former teammate Mattheos Katergaris on "one count of negligence resulting in injury" for allegedly jumping "up and down" on a golf court at a practice in July, 2023, but there has been no update on that case since March 7. It would not be cause for a draft-day slide.

On the field, Skattebo still has the look of a productive running back at the next level. Hester sees one potential challenge early in Skattebo's career. 

"There are some running backs – and I felt like I was in this a little bit – I am going to be better as the game goes along because I'm 235 pounds," Hester said. "I'm gonna be able to lean on the defense. We saw that in the Texas game with Cam. They were tired of tackling him. Is he going to get the opportunity to do that? If he goes to a place and he's the change of pace back and gets six carries a game, is that really going to show his talent?"

MORE: SN's updated Big Board ahead of 2025 NFL Draft

Why Cam Skattebo's NFL Draft projection matters 

Kiper does have Skattebo as a Day 3 running back. Sporting News' Vinnie Iyer has Skattebo as the fourth back selected behind Jeanty, Hampton and Ohio State's Quinshon Judkins. That is at the No. 67 pick – five spots ahead of Iowa's Kaleb Johnson. That is a draft-day barometer to watch, according to Kiper. 

"Skattebo gives you everything he has," Kiper said. "He's got versatility. I think in that early portion of Day 3 – we talked about that running group and how deep it is. It is deep with a lot of serviceable backs. As far as where the running backs are going to fall, if it does work where Kaleb Johnson gets in the late second or early third round, then you are going to see those backs drop into points where they become really good choices."

What role will Skattebo play in the NFL as a rookie? Aguano has a realistic projection. 

"He has so much potential not only as a running back in third down – all-purpose back – but also in special teams," Aguano said. "Someone that is coming in with a very high football IQ and a love of football and the passion he plays every down with. …He's a plug-in back. Wherever he goes, he will be ready to play right away. " 

Hester also said special teams could be an early tone-setter for Skattebo. 

"Can he be a special-teams guy?" Hester asked. "If you're not RB1, and you are RB2 you are going to be a core guy. You're going to be on every single special team. Those are things if he doesn't go to the right situation, he'll have to find something else to bring the ultimate value."

Now, given a chance to work into a feature role? Aguano and Hester both can see it in the future.

"There is nothing that tells me can't be an every-down RB1 on most teams in the NFL," Hester said. 

Maybe it's best to look at everything we did see. Aguano pointed out that in 2023, Skattebo had eight punts for an average of 42.3 yards per punt and completed seven passes with two TDs the last two years. He saw an emotional leader who matured the last two seasons at Arizona State – and he expects more of the same in the NFL. 

Aguano mentioned several other sports, including bowling, of course. In this case, it fits. 

"People don't know – he can play baseball, he can bowl, he can play pool, he can throw darts – and he's good at everything," Aguano said. "It's very unusual to find somebody who can do all that."

Bill Bender

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.