Cam Skattebo nearly landed in San Francisco, and Robert Saleh says the 49ers were right there on the edge of making it happen.
With the Tennessee Titans set to face the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Saleh was asked Wednesday about the second-year running back and traced the conversation back to the 2025 NFL Draft. At the time, Saleh was still coordinating the 49ers defense, and he made it clear Skattebo was very much in the mix.
"He's cool, man. I like him.
He's like the old-school 2010 Madden hit stick. Lower your shoulder, run people over.
Plays his a-- off. Lots of energy," Saleh said.
"I know going into the draft, 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.
And I think we ended up with C.J. West, who was a pretty damn good player too."
The Giants selected Skattebo with the 105th overall pick, while San Francisco’s next pick came eight spots later at No. 113, where the 49ers took Indiana defensive tackle C.J. West. West was moved to injured reserve on Wednesday.
The missed chance becomes even more interesting when you look at how the draft unfolded. San Francisco held the 100th pick, five spots ahead of New York, but used it on Western Kentucky cornerback Upton Stout while Skattebo was still on the board.
That weekend, the 49ers drafted four defenders, and West made it five, marking the first time since 1981 the franchise opened a draft that way. The class was built for Saleh’s defense, even if the running back Shanahan reportedly loved ended up going elsewhere.
Skattebo, for his part, said last year that he felt San Francisco was in play at No. 100.
"I actually thought I was going to end up going to San Francisco with that 100th pick," Skattebo said last year. "Vibes started getting high, lights started turning on, videos started turning on, and no phone call."
Now he’ll face a Titans defense that has already seen what he can do. A dislocated ankle cut short Skattebo’s rookie season in Week 8, but across two seasons he has 527 rushing yards and six touchdowns.
In Monday’s 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he was held to 36 yards on 12 carries. With Jaxson Dart ruled out for the year, Jameis Winston is now steering an offense that figures to lean more heavily on its backfield.
Tennessee’s defense has given up 120.5 rushing yards per game, which ranks 21st in the league.
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