Running back Cam Skattebo thrust himself into the 2025 NFL Draft spotlight with his massive 2024 campaign and late-season heroics to push ASU into the playoffs, but does the scouting report reflect his collegiate dominance?
Overview, Film Analysis, And Early 2025 Scouting Report Of Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo
Measurables:
- 5’11”
- 215 lbs
Player Background:
Cam Skattebo finished high school as an unranked recruit in 2020 from Rio Linda HS in California and enrolled at Sacramento State. The FCS season was canceled in 2020, granting him an extra year of eligibility. He came into 2021 as one of the top options on the Hornets’ offense and had his first year of producing. He carried the ball 57 times for 520 yards and six scores, adding on over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown.
His 2022 season was one of the best in the FCS, with over 1,300 yards on seven yards per carry with ten total TDs. He entered the portal as a three-star transfer and committed to Arizona State, immediately becoming a dangerous weapon. Skattebo rushed for almost 800 yards and 10 total scores in 2023, but that was just a teaser for his 2024 campaign. As one of the best RBS in the nation, he racked up over 2,300 all-purpose yards with 24 total TDs as one of the nation’s best backs.
Accolades:
- Third Team All-Big Sky (2021)
- First Team All-Big Sky (2022)
- Big Sky Conference Player of the Year (2022)
- Third Team All-American (2022)
- Honorable Mention All-PAC 12 (2023)
- First Team All-Big 12 (2024)
- First Team All-American (2024)
Strengths/Pros:
It’s impossible to talk about Skattebo and not mention his simply absurd contact balance. It’s very rare to see players who can seemingly bounce off of every defender that hits them and continue to stay up and running. He keeps his base solid and momentum driving through leg tackles when rushing forward. He sinks into his base extraordinarily well to minimize the impact of hits from all angles, staying on his feet and often remaining in one consistent motion. His fakes on play actions are believable and he can drag some defenders’ eyes off of developing routes.
Skattebo knows how to distribute his weight into hits and use his functional strength to drive through defenders. His effectiveness against physical defenses doesn’t decline as the game progresses, and his play style maintains natural violence that lets him grind out every last yard. His vision is decent through the interior, hitting holes when he can and working vertically. He’s surprisingly twitchy in his compact movements and navigates through traffic well. He contorts his body to flow with running lanes and his instincts are impressive at the second level.
Weaknesses/Cons:
As the world saw in the second half of the Sun Devils’ playoff game against Texas, Skattebo’s conditioning and stamina are legitimate issues. His already-subpar burst and straight-line speed degrade as time passes and his movements worsen quicker than most backs. He’s never truly a breakaway threat, often getting hawked down in the open field. His acceleration concerns bleed into handoff transitions, drifting through them instead of immediately shooting gaps.
Skattebo labors heavily through lateral cuts and his feet are incredibly heavy. He doesn’t work through smaller holes very efficiently and relies heavily on wider gaps being opened for him. He’s not able to bounce runs effectively, lacking the athleticism to get around second-level defenders. His routes out of the backfield are very stiff and he isn’t very smooth when securing the ball and turning upfield. He borders on being a liability as a blocker at times, with rough technique and inconsistency in squaring up pass rushers.
Potential Team Fits:
NFL Projection:
Cam Skattebo is a pure old-school gamer. He won’t be a top-tier back in the NFL but he should absolutely find himself a home as a potentially solid starter. His deficiencies as a prospect are pretty set in stone outside of, hopefully, his conditioning. If he can extend his fresh legs to later in the game and continues to be a bowling ball, NFL defenses will have an issue on their hands. Skattebo will be a serviceable short-yardage rotational back at his worst and could be a main piece of a run-first offense if his skills translate.
Prospect Grade:
- Late 3rd Round
Film Exposures:
- 2024 vs. BYU
- 2024 vs. Texas
- 2024 vs. Oklahoma State
Main Photo: Patrick Breen – USA Today Sports
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