One of the more unexpected developments of the New York Giants’ 2025 offseason has been their thorough running back search — which has included several premier NFL draft prospects.
A few months ago, most NYG supporters probably wouldn’t have ranked RB near the top of the organization’s list of positional needs, considering 2024 draft pick Tyrone Tracy Jr.’s emergence plus the fact that veteran Devin Singletary is still under contract. But here we are in the midst of what feels like an endless streak of running back visits.
Arizona State starter Cam Skattebo was the latest ball carrier to come to town. His top 30 pre-draft visit was first reported by The Athletic’s Dan Duggan on the evening of April 11.
The day before on April 10, North Carolina star and potential first-round talent Omarion Hampton was present at NYG facilities.
Players like Skattebo, Hampton, Quinshon Judkins and Kaleb Johnson — more recent pre-draft visits — aren’t just complementary pieces either, they’re clear-cut RB1 candidates in most NFL offenses. That’s the odd part.
Regarding Skattebo and Hampton specifically, the former accumulated over 2,300 scrimmage yards last season while the latter was not far behind that mark at just over 2,000 scrimmage yards. Needless to say, these guys are three-down backs who are used to heavy workloads.
That’s not to say the Giants don’t like Tracy as a running back, but it’s starting to feel more and more likely that they could see him as a really good RB2.
Giants NFL Draft Visits Cam Skattebo & Omarion Hampton Place 2nd & 12th in Dane Brugler’s RB Ranks
The Athletic’s lead draft analyst Dane Brugler released his comprehensive draft guide, “The Beast,” earlier this week, and he ranked the top prospects at every position within it. At running back, Hampton ranked second and Skattebo ranked 12th.
“Overall, Hampton has only average creativity and is a tad tight in his hips and ankles, but he is a bruising runner with an effective blend of patience, power and speed,” Brugler noted, regarding the higher of the two rankings. “Given his reliability on passing downs, he is a complete player and should start as an NFL rookie.”
As for Skattebo, Brugler dropped him in his RB ranks due to “weaknesses” like “average burst and start-stop ability” and a “lack of immediate juice will be more apparent on stretch plays against NFL pursuit.” The physical grinder of a ball carrier has also fumbled 10 times over the past three years.
Having said that, Brugler acknowledged that Skattebo is a “chore to tackle” due to his plus contact balance and his uncanny ability to break tackles.
“Overall, Skattebo is a thickly built, compact runner who is more quick than explosive, but he competes with tremendous resolve and understands how to rely on his pad level and contact balance to get the most out of every carry,” the draft analyst concluded.
Some believe Skattebo will go down as a much better college playmaker than a pro, due to his unique skillset that relies on missed tackles.
Giants Beat Reporter Tries to Make Sense of String of RB NFL Draft Visits
NorthJersey.com insider Art Stapleton weighed in on this surprising string of running back visits on April 12.
“Here’s where I’m at with Giants bringing in five RBs for ‘30’ visits so far, six if you include Kyle Monangai on local Pro Day,” he posted. “This isn’t about a lack of belief in Tyrone Tracy. This is about being prepared to take advantage of the value of a deep and talented RB class.”
Stapleton is probably right. The Giants have no reason to dislike Tracy as a player, but he did struggle in some areas as a rookie.
When it came to punching the ball into the end zone or securing the rock without fumbling, Tracy had a few disappointing moments. He also dropped passes that stalled drives, despite being billed as a former wide receiver and pass-catching RB.
Don’t get me wrong, Tracy did a lot of things right. He showed unexpected vision considering he’s still new to the position, and his burst and toughness were intriguing.
With all that in mind, Tracy feels like more of a 1B change of pace back than a 1A. And the Giants seem to recognize that. It’ll be interesting to see how high this regime drafts another new halfback in 2025.
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