Cam Skattebo is one of the few dynamic, young playmakers fully healthy for the New York Giants’ but Big Blue is lucky the running back’s playing for the GMen at all. Especially since one of the Giants‘ longstanding rivals in the NFC almost stole Skattebo in the 2025 NFL draft.
That’s according to Robert Saleh, current head coach of the Giants’ Week 3 opponents the Tennessee Titans. Saleh was serving as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers in 2025 and revealed how “we were actually about to draft him in San Francisco. Kyle (Shanahan) loved him, and he ended up getting taken right before we were picking,” per The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov.
The Giants will be grateful they seized their opportunity ahead of the 49ers and took Skattebo with the 105th pick just over a year ago. His value’s only increased now one of the Giants’ first-round picks from that year, quarterback Jaxson Dart, will undergo season-ending knee surgery.
Dart’s lengthy absence means Skattebo will be the driving force of a ground-and-pound offense on head coach John Harbaugh’s watch. It’s what Saleh’s Titans will be attempting to stop at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, September 27.
Perhaps the Niners’ pre-draft scouting reports on Skattebo will help them gain some inadvertent revenge for losing a talented runner to the Giants.
Giants’ Cam Skattebo Swipe Should Sting 49ers
Pipping the 49ers to the post for Skattebo was more than a minor coup for the Giants. It was also another win in one of the more underrated entries to the NFL’s canon of classic rivalries.
The Giants and San Fran have staged some playoff clashes for the ages. Like when the 1990 Giants ended the three-peat hopes of Joe Montana, Roger Craig, Ronnie Lott and Jerry Rice in a rugged NFC Championship Game at Candlestick Park.
Big Blue would break hearts again in California with the conference title at stake. This time, the 2011 Giants were inspired by a heroic effort from a battered and bloodied Eli Manning to earn a trip to Super Bowl 46 and ultimately another upset of Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.
In between, the 49ers left their own scars on the Giants. Most notably when Terrell Owens and a freewheeling Jeff Garcia brought the Niners back from 38-14 down in the 2002 playoffs.
The 49ers have remained a playoff team, but today’s Giants are still building toward a postseason return. Skattebo’s a key building block because of how his straight-ahead style fits the “dirty” running game favored by Harbaugh.
A power-based rushing attack needs a bruising back, and Skattebo qualifies. It’s why his fit for Shanahan’s 49ers would’ve been a curious one. Shanahan has traditionally leaned into a zone-style ground game based on one-cut-and-go runs.
There’s some crossover in both schemes, but the Giants know they have the right workhorse for their brand of football. The question is do they have enough talent left around Skattebo?
Positive Injury News Offers a Boost vs. Titans
Dart not being on the field will make it easier for the Titans to load the line of scrimmage to stop Skattebo. He’s going to need help in both phases from cornerstone players.
Fortunately, that help can come courtesy of superior blocking from All-Pro left tackle Andrew Thomas. Skattebo will also face lighter fronts if star wide receiver Malik Nabers can ensure the Giants still carry a threat through the air.
Nabers and Thomas have been dealing with injuries. Thomas suffered a groin problem against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2, the same game when Nabers popped a shoulder.
Harbaugh provided the update Giants fans wanted to hear about Nabers and Thomas when he revealed they “practiced fully” on Wednesday, and should “be good” for Week 3, per SNY.tv’s Connor Hughes.
Even without Dart, the Giants should have the right platform to allow Skattebo to run riot and make Saleh wish the 49ers had got their man.
Giants’ NFC Rivals Almost Stole Cam Skattebo