How hard is Cam Skattebo to bring down compared to other RB prospects in draft?

It doesn’t take metrics to know Cam Skattebo is among the toughest backs to bring down in the 2025 NFL Draft class, but Opta Analyst’s Alex Kirshner has some for you regardless.

The Arizona State running back measured in at 5-foot-9.5 and 219 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine last week, almost squarely between his 2023 and 2024 listings of 225 and 215 pounds, respectively. He proved he carries that weight well with a 39.5-inch vertical leap, tied for second-best among this year’s backs.

That weight proved tough to bring down throughout the 2024 regular season and as Skattebo carried the Sun Devils through the postseason.

He was top-3 among prospective running backs with 2.69 yards after contact, according to Kirshner, who called Skattebo the class’s fourth-toughest back to bring down overall.

Heisman finalist Ashton Jeanty topped Kirshner’s list while a couple of Big Ten backs in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson were also placed ahead of the ASU star. Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State), Omarion Hampton (North Carolina) and Dylan Sampson (Tennessee) rounded out the group.

Kirshner writes:

Skattebo, whose 1,711 rushing yards ranked second to Jeanty … looks like a bulldozer, but he actually has a track record of toasting defenders at top speed in the open field.

The back’s breakaway-ability may have been most visible during the Big 12 title game against Iowa State when he gashed the Cyclones for 128 rushing yards just across three opening-drive carries in the first half.

He sat out speed drills at the combine, such as the 40-yard dash, electing to instead showcase those skills at the ASU pro day. He will also attend the Big 12 Pro Day beginning on March 18 in Frisco, Texas.

He posted a 58.5% burn rate on his receiving routes – second-best among these tailbacks – and was second at 0.251 missed or broken tackles per touch. Put those things together, and you get a 26.8% big play rate, or 5.0 percentage points better than anyone else.

The burn rate Kirshner refers to measures whether receivers do their part in breaking free from a defender on pass routes. In Opta Analyst’s own words, back from 2021:

A receiver doesn’t even have to catch a pass to be credited with a burn. If he gets open beyond the first-down marker but the QB doesn’t deliver a catchable ball, the receiver still gets credit for doing his part in making the play successful. …

Conversely, if a receiver makes a catch for a 7-yard gain on third-and-10, no burn is credited because he wasn’t able to earn his team a new set of downs. Each target is also credited with burn yardage that represents how many yards were gained on a reception. He’s also credited with burn yardage if he was open but the pass wasn’t completed.

It stands to reason that the numbers back up Skattebo’s receiving performance, which he has said makes him one of the better prospects at his position.

He was second among running backs with 605 receiving yards on the year and was second among all players on his own team behind Jordyn Tyson (1,101 yards). Skattebo also became the first player with at least 1,500 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards since Christian McCaffrey.

The first round of the draft begins on April 24 with the second and third rounds on April 25 and the final four rounds on April 26.

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