Giants' Cam Skattebo earns incredible grade for early season play as rookie RB

Billy Heyen

Giants' Cam Skattebo earns incredible grade for early season play as rookie RB image

Cam Skattebo has quickly made himself a fan favorite for the New York Giants, and for good reason.

Very few running backs run with the potency of the rookie out of Arizona State.

He's also caught the attention of some of the major analytics services.

In fact, Pro Football Focus rates Skattebo as the top rookie RB so far, and he has the second-highest grade among any rookie in the NFL (behind Bills tight end Jackson Hawes).

Here's how PFF describes him in its new rankings piece:

Skattebo starred Sunday night against the Chiefs and takes over the No. 2 spot with his first appearance on this list. Before David Montgomery‘s Monday Night Football explosion, Skattebo led all running backs in Week 3 in PFF overall grade (83.0).

The Arizona State product rushed the ball 10 times for 64 yards against Kansas City, forcing five missed tackles and recording three plays of 10-plus yards, including a 13-yard touchdown near halftime for his second rushing score of the season. Skattebo averaged 4.4 yards after contact and notched a 30.0% first-down-plus-touchdown rate. He finished the night with a 78.1 PFF rushing grade.

As a receiver, Skattebo caught six of eight passes for 61 yards and four first downs, both top-two marks. He averaged 9.5 yards after the catch per reception and logged two catches of 15-plus yards on his way to an 86.6 PFF receiving grade (second best). 

The fourth-round pick is the NFL's highest-graded running back through Week 3. He ranks in the top two in PFF rushing (84.7) and receiving grades (81.9). Skattebo has turned 23 carries into 102 yards, gaining seven first downs, scoring twice and forcing eight missed tackles. As a receiver, he has caught 10 of 13 passes for 87 yards, with four first downs and three forced three missed tackles.

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Skattebo didn't take long to take more work from Tyrone Tracy. And now Tracy is hurt, so it's going to be the Skattebo show going forward.

It's an exciting time to be a Giants fan. Rookie QB Jaxson Dart is getting his first start this weekend. A backfield of Dart alongside Skattebo can be the future of this franchise, and it starts now.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle