Kenny Dillingham Falls Short of Words as Cam Skattebo Left in Tears Over $5M Giants Move

Jan 1, 2025: An underdog in Cam Skattebo had just won the Offensive MVP award at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. He carried the Arizona State Football on his back, but the efforts were not enough. A late fourth quarter surge that saw a dire Sun Devils team trail by as many as 16 points, all the while vomiting profusely on the sidelines, that was Cam Skattebo. But for a team that was overhaul-bound after finishing 3-9 in 2022, coming into the Peach Bowl game to play against the Longhorns, they had much to gain and very little to lose. Cam hardly wanted to settle for what fate had to offer, and a heartbreaking 39-31 defeat at that: “I’m gonna play on Sundays.” But HC Dillingham had a different plan cut out for the 23-year-old dual threat.

“Now if the Arizona Cardinals can just draft Cam so we can keep him home, that’d be awesome.” In fact, it wouldn’t have been surprising if Dillingham sat with Cam flipping through the tapes of Cardinals’ legendary RB James Conner at some point during the off-season last summer to get him ready on time. Every time an NFL scout would call him, his first routine response would be just these five words, “You want to draft him.” And if they don’t end up drafting him, he’d have another response ready: “Dang, I have to play him” when the matchup against Skattebo comes around.

Now, as much as Dillingham would want Cam to team up with his good friend and Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon, Big Blue was waiting for their turn. Despite being ranked the second-best RB in the draft behind Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, at No. 105 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Skattebo was added as another hammer to the New York Giants’ running back room. Cam had a lot to say about the news, but to round it up, “They appreciated the way I play, and I appreciate them.” Dillingham also reacted to the Sun Devils’ X post about the players’ selection:

“Man, so proud of this guy, words can’t describe it!”
Giants’ HC Brian Daboll, who inexplicably allowed RB Saquon Barkley to entertain free agent offers until he got one from the Eagles that he could not pass up, has found a pure football player on his roster. He said, “He’s tough as nails.

“You can use him a variety of ways. Pass game, he can catch, he can run routes, he can throw the ball, as you’ve seen on one of those, and he’s got very good vision and quick feet. He’s a 220-pound back who runs with power, toughness and has the type of personality that I think (general manager) Joe (Schoen) did a great job of along with the scouts of bringing in guys that have a lot of toughness.”

Once Skattebo’s draft was official, the Giants’ RB was full of emotion for the day he had waited his lifetime.

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Cam Skattebo becomes emotional after his draft pick

The selection in the draft is one of the most path-breaking moments in any player’s career. The journey has just started, and not many players who get their names registered even get drafted. So, on such an occasion, the moment becomes monumental and even filled with emotions for many. Cam Skattebo’s selection in the draft brought out some similar emotions for the running back.

In a video shared by On3’s college football Instagram account, Cam Skattebo can be seen patiently sitting with his family members, friends, and colleagues to hear his name called. But in a moment, everything changed. Skattebo’s name was called as he was drafted by the Giants, and the crowd erupted in joy, applauding the RB’s incredible feat. But, for Skattebo, tears poured as he reminisced about all the nerves, tension, and wait that ended at that moment.

The moment that is visibly wholesome showcases the hard work the player had put in throughout his college football and high school career. And now, to see years of hard work and persistence pay off? Such an accomplishment would actually fill anyone’s eyes with tears. Cam will earn around $5 million in his rookie contract and look to make incredible progress over the years. The Giants are also now getting a beast of a player who will surely show some of his heroics in just his rookie season.