Giants' final draft-day selections headlined by Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo
Arizona State running back Cam Skattebo (4) carries the ball for a long gain against Iowa State in the first half of the Big 12 Conference championship in Arlington, Texas, Saturday Dec. 7, 2024. Credit: AP/LM Otero
Nearly four years ago on April 30, 2021, Sacramento State freshman Cam Skattebo posted a hopeful tweet.
“With the ____ pick in the 2025 draft . . . wait on it,” Skattebo wrote, dreaming of the NFL.
He now can fill in that blank as the 105th pick.
The Giants began their final group of selections to complete their 2025 NFL Draft class by taking Skattebo in the fourth round on Saturday. The running back out of Arizona State was joined by Purdue offensive lineman Marcus Mbow (fifth round), Nebraska tight end Thomas Fidone II (seventh round) and Oklahoma State cornerback Korie Black (seventh round). It completed a class that addressed key needs but also planted seeds for the Giants wanting to form a more physical identity.
The club has lacked many defining traits since general manager Joe Schoen and coach Brian Daboll took over in 2022. After the draft on Saturday, both men used the word “toughness’’ to describe what they loved about this class and the players they signed in free agency.
Schoen called first-round pick Abdul Carter a “dawg” and said it follows what he loved about drafting receiver Malik Nabers last year.
“That can help develop an identity, those type of players,” Schoen said. “The more of those guys that you can acquire, the more that can come to life.”
Skattebo, 23, joked about being a physical player since he was 6 years old in Pop Warner. Mbow said it was fun demoralizing opposing linemen by putting them on the ground. Darius Alexander, the Giants’ third-round selection on Friday night, felt the same after Giants linebacker Dyontae Johnson, his former teammate at Toledo, told Alexander he’s joining a team with savages on defense.
“I love taking my opponents’ will and just watching them go to the sideline and not know what to say to the coach,’’ Alexander said on Saturday during his introductory news conference with the Giants. “I feel like that’s something they do well here, too.”
Tough talk aside, the Giants added intriguing players.
Skattebo, an AP first-team All-American, ran for 1,711 yards and 21 touchdowns and caught 45 passes for 605 yards and three touchdowns. He fits a versatile mold similar to last season’s rookie running back, Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Skattebo also helped Arizona State win the Big 12 championship game in the Sun Devils’ first season in the conference. He is a sturdy back at 5-10, 219 pounds and possesses good speed, as demonstrated by totaling at least 20 yards on 20 different plays last season.
He also might have endeared himself to Giants fans by posting a picture on X of him wearing a Michael Strahan jersey.
“Physicality is definitely contagious. If someone gets ran over, it hypes the other guys up and it gets them going,” Skattebo said. “I’m going to continue to bring that and hopefully it feeds off my teammates.”
Mbow was the first offensive lineman drafted by the Giants since center John Michael Schmitz in 2023. After selecting no offensive or defensive linemen last year, the Giants took three linemen (two defensive) in this draft.
A three-year starter for Purdue, Mbow started 18 games at right tackle the last two seasons. He also played 14 games at guard in 2022. That is where some scouts have him projected, but Daboll said Mbow will start at tackle.
Fidone was a two-year starter and has good size (listed at 6-5). After missing nearly all of his first two seasons with ACL injuries, he stayed healthy to play 25 games over the last two seasons.
Black started his final three seasons at cornerback at Oklahoma State. He didn’t get an invite to the NFL Combine but showed out at his Pro Day by running the 40-yard dash in 4.35 seconds.
On paper, the Giants filled some key needs. They got a future quarterback in Jaxson Dart and more depth at defensive tackle with Alexander. They added one of the draft’s best prospects in Carter to an already deep and productive pass-rushing group.
Schoen likes whom he and his staff have brought in. He is excited to see how the toughness that the players showed in meetings and on video can translate to the field.
“We have the right people in this building,” Schoen said. “And it’s up to us and the team to really start and develop who we want to be and what we want to be.”
Evan Barnes covers the Giants for Newsday. He previously covered the Brooklyn Nets, Memphis football and the Memphis Grizzlies and also covered prep sports in Los Angeles.
