With Saquon Barkley having spent a whole year with the Philadelphia Eagles and winning his first Super Bowl, it was time for the New York Giants to draft a new running back to complement the second-year back, Tyron Tracey Jr.
The Giants did just that, drafting Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
They also traded back into the first round at number 25 to take Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. The team hopes he will be a massive upgrade over former starter Daniel Jones, who has now become the Indianapolis Colts quarterback.
Let’s examine how these two prolific rookies may help the team get back on track in 2025.
The 5’10”, 219 lb. “Skatt Man” chooses aggression and physicality as his running style. Skattebo got his tough running style from watching WWE with his late grandfather.
Back in high school, his football teammates called him“Nature Boy” in honor of WWE legend Ric Flair. The nickname caught on so much that the running back would scream Flair’s patented “Woo!” anytime he bulled over a defender in his way.
Skattebo’s toughness also traces back to his childhood, when he played football in the streets of Northern California. He would put on his older brother’s shoulder pads and helmet and run into telephone poles, testing his tolerance for pain and resistance.
It’s not a matter of whether Skattebo can be an NFL running back; it’s a matter of when. All this talk about Flair and toughness will be seen on the football field this fall.
Foattebo draws physical comparisons to former NFL running back Marshawn Lynch. Lynch was a 5’11”, 215 lb. beast who could truck defenders and run through multiple guys trying to bring him down.
Skattebo has already proven he can run similar to “Beast Mode” in college. He had to learn to run in two different offensive systems with Sacramento State and later, when he transferred to Arizona State.
The talented running back will have to do the same in the NFL, as luckily, he will have no trouble learning another playbook.
At 6’2″, 225 lbs, the former USC and Ole Miss quarterback plays bigger and with the toughness of a linebacker. He looks every bit like a prototypical NFL quarterback. More importantly, he’s been a winner everywhere and is a classy guy.
Dart works hard every day to improve his craft. He has a rocket arm and can make wild throws off the cuff. The 21-year-old also plays with that dawg in him and is reckless when playing the position.
Head coach Brian Daboll knows about coaching reckless quarterbacks who want to take over the games by themselves with a big run to secure a first down. He had that when he was the offensive coordinator for none other than Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
When the New York Giants traded back into the first round at 25, they knew they wanted a quarterback. GM Joe Shoen had the choice between Dart and Shedur Sanders. Shoen and Daboll knew the type of quarterback they wanted, and it was a no-brainer to go with Dart.
Sure, rookie minicamp is not the end-all be-all to judge how a rookie quarterback will fare in the very physical and athletic NFL. When Eli Manning showed up to rookie camp, his first pass was way off his intended receiver and bounced off a blocking sled.
Twenty-one years later, Manning is a 2x Super Bowl-winning quarterback and is bound to be a Hall of Famer at some point. As for Dart, the young prospect made quite an impression before stepping onto the field.
Even though Dart and Skattebo play different positions, they both have the toughness and the previous knowledge on what it will take to succeed as NFL teammates.
Both Dart and Skattebo began their college careers in California. Dart played for the big conglomerate USC Trojans, and Skattebo played for the little guys at Sacramento State.
They both had successful stints in the Golden State and entered their names into the transfer portal to prepare for the next system thrown at them.
Dart transferred to Ole Miss in 2022 and, for the next three years, blossomed into one of the top NFL quarterback prospects of the 2025 NFL Draft.
As for Skattebo, he took his toughness and talents to Tempe, AZ, and suited up for the PAC 10, turned to the Big 12, Arizona State Sun Devils, and showed the Power Four he belonged in more than just a smaller little guy school.
As a result, Skattebo has become a top running back prospect who wants to prove he can play well above his 5th-round draft status.
Both Dart and Skattebo are similar in that they both started off at one level and worked hard to transfer to the next.
That allowed them to learn how to complete different offensive playbooks at different colleges, which is always critical to learning and then knowing how to do it at the NFL level.
New York Yankees’ Veteran Pitcher Gets Assignment After 6 Starts
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to our newsletter here. Check out Stadium Rant Original shows on our Youtube channel and subscribe! Give our socials Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok a follow for more great content!
