Each year, the top four candidates for the Heisman Trophy get to visit Manhattan in advance of the announcement.
This year, Cam Skattebo was fifth on the list.
Thus, no trip back in mid-December to the big city.
“I wasn’t too bummed about the Heisman situation,’’ Skattebo said. “Those were great players. But I’m going to New York now for a long time, so let’s do it.’’
Yes, Skattebo will be spending plenty of time in the New York area — more specifically, across the Hudson River, in East Rutherford, N.J.
The bruising, bullish running back was selected by the Giants on Saturday in the fourth round of the NFL draft and he brings a definite dimension to how he runs the football.
“Physical, downhill, get-to-the-end-zone back,’’ Skattebo said. “I love to score touchdowns. That’s what I do.’’
It was no secret the Giants wanted to add to a running back room that featured Tyrone Tracy Jr., veteran Devin Singletary and not much else.
The middle rounds is where general manager Joe Schoen points to as prime real estate to get a running back.
Skattebo broke out for Arizona State in 2024, rushing for a school-record 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns and amassing 2,316 all-purpose yards.
He can catch the ball out of the backfield. At 5-foot-9 ¹/₂ and 219 pounds, he does not possess blazing speed — 4.65 in the 40-yard dash — and most likely will not run away from NFL defensive backs. But he might run over them.
“One of our favorite players in the draft,’’ Schoen said. “The way he plays, the mentality he plays with, the toughness, the competitiveness, the grit.’’
Skattebo has a compact body with tree-trunk legs and scouts say he plays more like a linebacker than a running back.
Instead of shying away from contact, he relishes it.
“You can go back, watch some film from back in the day,’’ Skattebo said. “It’s always been a very physical game for me. Since the age of 6 years old, I’ve been doing the same thing. Throughout my life I’ve stuck with the path that I’ve put myself on, and it’s working out. I’m going to continue to do that because that’s what is bringing me success.’’
This pick comes one year after the Giants selected Tracy in the fifth round. That proved to be excellent value, as Tracy finished second among all NFL rookies with 839 rushing yards.
Now the Giants have a 1-2 punch with Tracy and Skattebo, and whatever role there is for Singletary.
“He plays with great contact balance, he’s tough as nails, you can use him in a variety of ways,’’ head coach Brian Daboll said. “Pass game he can catch, he can run routes, he can throw the ball. And he’s got very good vision and quick feet. Runs with power and toughness.’’
Having a fifth-round pick and a fourth-round pick in the backfield is Schoen’s preferred way to build an offense.
The previous Giants regime selected Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick in 2018 and, despite periods of excellence mixed in with injuries, Barkley after six years could not come to contract terms with the Giants, signed with the Eagles, rushed for 2,005 yards in the regular season and won a Super Bowl.
Skattebo after running for 170 yards and scoring three touchdowns in a 45-19 victory over Iowa State to win the Big 12 Conference championship game declared: “Nobody respects the fact that I’m the best running back in the country. If people want to disrespect that, I am going to keep going and I am going to keep proving people wrong.”
He was the eighth running back taken in this draft.
Wearing a Giants hat and surrounded by family and friends, Skattebo bowed his head and cried when he heard his name announced as the 105th overall pick.
He received no major program offers coming out of high school in California and starred at Sacramento State before raising his NFL stock at Arizona State.
“It kind of shows more of the path of how people have doubted me a little bit, and now that the Giants believe in me, I’m going to believe in them and what they’ve got and what we have as a team, and I’m going to try to go win a championship,’’ Skattebo said.
“I’m ready to give it everything I’ve got. I can’t wait to be there. It’s going to be awesome.’
