Chicago Bears NFL Draft Target: Cam Skattebo

Stephanie Amador Blondet - USA Today Sports

Dustin Riese - Senior Writer - Thursday, April 17 2025

When it comes to this year's NFL draft, there are plenty of talented players whom the Bears should target to further improve their roster. Where they target these players is another question, but there is one player who hasn't been mentioned to the Bears. However, the more you think about it, the more he feels like the perfect player for this team.

Whether you grab him in round three or four, Arizona State Running Back Cam Skattebo is arguably the most popular and fun name in this year's class, and coming off the season he had with the Sun Devils is someone who is starting to gain plenty of attention. The 23-year-old Skattebo stands at 5-9 and checks in at 217 pounds, but he does a little bit of everything on the field, which makes him a fit for almost every offense.

Skattebo has had an up-and-down career capped off by a career-best season this past year that helped lead the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff before falling to Texas. This is a player who rushed for just over 500 yards as a freshman and followed it up with 1372 yards and seven scores as a sophomore before taking a massive step back in 2023, where he had just 783 yards despite nine scores.

This season, Skattebo not only broke onto the scene but also started to show the entire nation what he could do. He has now emerged as one of the better prospects in the game. Had it not been for Ashton Jeanty and the season he had, Skattebo would have gained most of the attention at the running back position as he logged a career-best 1711 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

Skattebo also added 605 yards and three scores through the air, nearly as many receiving yards as he had combined in his first three seasons. That production alone is telling and shows the type of production he can bring to the table as a player. The only problem is where he would play and the type of role someone would give him.

Regardless, a player of his skillset needs to have a spot, and if the Bears can figure out a way to draft him in the middle rounds of the draft, he instantly adds an element this offense hasn't had in a long time, if ever. While the numbers are great, his nearly 6.0 YPC stands out the most, as Skattebo is more of a power back than one of those speed backs that many teams are gravitating toward.

When you look at how he grades out among the rest of the running backs, Skattebo grades out as an 88, which ranks him second behind Jeanty among running backs. Yet, he will likely be the No. 4 or No. 5 back taken because he is more of a hybrid player than a standard running back. Known as someone who aims to take contact and dish it out, Skattebo is a physical beast who can take on contact and shows the balance to remain on his feet after contact.

Skattebo can break through second-level tacklers and careen off bodies for extended yards after contact. He scans his blocks and is more elusive in the early stages of the run than he’s probably given credit for. What he lacks in top-end speed, indicated by his close to 4.6 40 time, he makes up for with his physical style, although he will have to figure out if he can handle taking on the more prominent defenders in the NFL.

His physicality and edge should bode well for him as a complementary back with three-down value who is capable of helping an offense wear down the defense. Jaylen Warren comes to mind regarding a player comparison in today's game, which isn't a bad back to be compared to.

Warren is now the No. 1 back in Pittsburgh and has gradually seen an uptick in production in each of the past three seasons. Adding Skattebo to the Bears lineup would be the definition of Thunder and Lightning in the backfield. D'Andre Swift would be their version of lightning and would be considered the speed back, while Skattebo would be the physical Thunder presence.

Knowing how Ben Johnson feels about a two-running-back system and seeing his success with it, you get a sense that the Bears will look to add a running back at some point in the draft. As long as they don't reach, there will be backs available, and Skattebo is the definition of a Chicago Bears player.