2025 Dallas Cowboys draft scouting report: Arizona State RB Cam Skattebo

Because the Dallas Cowboys look to beef up their run recreation underneath new head coach Brian Schottenheimer, there’s one working again whose play fashion has rapidly develop into a really perfect match for the Cowboys: Cam Skattebo. The Arizona State working again gained legend standing for his unimaginable efficiency within the Peach Bowl, virtually single-handedly beating Texas in a recreation that went to 2 overtimes.

Identify: Cam SkatteboPosition: RBHeight: 5’11”Weight: 215 kilos

Cam Skattebo School Stats, courtesy of Sports activities Reference

Those who have watched Skattebo all through his profession, although, know he’s all the time been this particular. The California native was a zero star recruit out of highschool, and he solely acquired two provides: Sacramento State and William & Mary, each FCS groups. He selected the one nearer to dwelling, and Skattebo rapidly grew to become a star. He racked up 520 dashing yards as a real freshman after which hit 1,369 as a sophomore.

That empowered Skattebo to enter the switch portal, discovering a house at Arizona State. In 2023, the primary 12 months underneath a brand new teaching employees and with this system nonetheless underneath the cloud of an NCAA investigation, Skattebo completed with 786 dashing yards and 286 receiving yards. Coming into 2024, although, he dropped 15 kilos to get sooner and it paid off in a giant manner. He completed fifth in Heisman voting and powered an offense that received the Large 12 and reached the School Soccer Playoff. Now, Skattebo is able to anchor an NFL offense in the identical method.

Burst

For a way a lot of a downhill runner Skattebo is billed to be, he has an distinctive first step. The burden he dropped going into his senior season made probably the most notable distinction on this space. Skattebo explodes off his foot and reaches his prime pace in a short time, which was a giant a part of him having the fourth-most runs of 10+ yards regardless of lacking a recreation.

Steadiness

Good luck bringing Skattebo down on the primary, and even second, try. Solely Ashton Jeanty pressured extra missed tackles or racked up extra yards after contact. Skattebo is constructed like a slab of concrete and performs with a low middle of gravity, making him virtually inconceivable to deal with. Whether or not it’s within the open subject or the center of the scrum, Skattebo goes to achieve a minimum of a pair further yards as soon as he will get touched.

Lateral Agility

Skattebo is surprisingly fast shifting facet to facet. There isn’t a wasted movement in his ft, and his skill to leap from hole to hole on the lookout for holes is sort of paying homage to Le’Veon Bell. There are occasions the place Skattebo cuts again and has to speed up to get to the nook the place he seems to be like extra of a pace runner than a battering ram.

Ball Carrying

This may be Skattebo’s greatest subject proper now, outdoors of considerations about sturdiness. He had 4 fumbles this 12 months, his second season with that many. In complete, Skattebo fumbled 10 instances in 4 years, although that quantity is a minimum of partially inflated by his 1,130 profession carries. Nonetheless, Skattebo will get somewhat too careless at instances.

Go Catching

Skattebo is an elite receiving risk out of the backfield. Solely two different working backs had extra receiving yards final 12 months, and Skattebo led his place group in yards after the catch. He topped 250 receiving yards every of the final three seasons and has actually dependable palms. There are extra nuanced route runners on this working again class, however Skattebo is arguably probably the most harmful pass-catching weapon.

Blocking

There’s zero concern about Skattebo’s blocking skill. As you’d count on from somebody with such a bodily working fashion, Skattebo is an ready and prepared blocker too. Arizona State even lined him up at fullback once in a while as a change-up. Over his two seasons with the Solar Devils, Skattebo allowed simply 5 pressures on move blocking snaps and by no means gave up a sack.

Athleticism

Skattebo doesn’t seem to have probably the most purposeful athleticism on the market. He’s something however sluggish, however Skattebo’s lengthy pace nonetheless isn’t elite. He’s not going to outrun too many defenders, however his skill to bowl them over offsets a few of that. Nonetheless, scouts will wish to see Skattebo put up a minimum of common numbers within the 40-yard sprint.

Processing

He performs with glorious imaginative and prescient and persistence, giving himself simply sufficient time to diagnose the protection earlier than making his transfer. In move safety, he has a knack for realizing his duty and adjusting on the fly. He had 4 completely different play-callers in his 4 years in faculty and it by no means impacted his skill to supply.

Intangibles

Skattebo is the textbook definition of somebody who has that ‘dawg’ in them. He’s a throwback runner who’s obtained sufficient shake to him to nonetheless make performs in modern-day offenses. He was a pacesetter for the Solar Devils throughout their unbelievable 11-win season. The largest concern with Skattebo is his workload, and whether or not or not these 1,130 profession carries will translate to a shorter shelf life within the NFL. Nevertheless, Skattebo has already been getting ready for this, which is among the explanation why he modified up his weight plan heading into this previous season.