Red Raider Rushing Legend Tahj Brooks Poised to Shock Cincinnati’s Backfield After Sixth‑Round Steal

When the Cincinnati Bengals went on the clock with pick No. 193 late on Day 3 of April’s NFL draft, few outside Lubbock expected a seismic tremor. Yet in one brisk announcement commissioner Roger Goodell lit the fuse on a roster shake‑up: “With the 193rd pick, the Cincinnati Bengals select Tahj Brooks, running back, Texas Tech.”

The move sounded routine at first glance—another sixth‑rounder headed to a crowded training‑camp backfield. But those who watched Brooks eviscerate Big 12 defenses know the Bengals scooped a bargain whose résumé reads more like a first‑rounder’s. The 5‑10, 230‑pound bruiser leaves West Texas as the program’s undisputed rushing monarch, smashing Byron Hanspard’s 1996 benchmark in November with a late‑game burst against Colorado to claim the school record at 4,557 career yards.

Brooks’ ascent was equal parts perseverance and punishing pad level. A three‑star signee once deemed “too squatty” for the modern spread game, he responded by stringing together two straight 1,500‑yard campaigns—the only Red Raider ever to do so. His 1,538 yards in 2023 rank fourth on Tech’s single‑season list, while the 1,505 tallied last autumn sit sixth.

Over that two‑year stretch he forced a gobsmacking 154 missed tackles and racked up more than 3,000 yards after contact, according to Cincy Jungle’s advanced breakdown.

He’s a sledgehammer in a phone booth who can still slip out the side door,” raved one AFC scout during Senior Bowl week. That blend of bowling‑ball power and jump‑cut agility translated to steady chunk plays—Brooks averaged 5.3 yards per tote on 286 carries in 2024, a workload that showcased both durability and discipline.

On paper the Bengals’ ground game screamed for fresh juice. Joe Burrow’s surgically repaired wrist—and the franchise’s Super Bowl window—demand a balanced attack, yet Cincinnati finished 25th in rushing efficiency last season. The front office signaled its urgency by letting veteran Joe Mixon walk in free agency, elevating 2023 draftee Chase Brown to RB1 and adding veteran Zack Moss for early‑down insurance. But neither back had surpassed 100 NFL carries in a season. Brooks’ arrival offers immediate, physical credibility.

Internal optimism bubbled almost instantly. “We thought he might be gone by late fourth,” personnel executive Trey Brown admitted in the team’s post‑draft debrief. “When he kept falling, we were on the phones trying to trade up. Getting him at 193 felt like winning a bonus pick.”

Head coach Zac Taylor echoed that sentiment in the now‑viral draft‑call video—“Love you too, bro; can’t wait to hand you the rock,” he laughed while a beaming Brooks thanked him from his family’s living room.

Yet snap allocation rarely honors preseason ink. Brown missed three games last year with a lingering hamstring, Moss has never logged more than 23 carries in consecutive contests, and Perine thrives primarily in pass protection. Meanwhile, Brooks arrives healthy, hungry and battle‑tested—he toted the ball nearly 600 times the past two seasons without surrendering a fumble.

Film shows an ideal scheme fit. Cincinnati lives in shotgun formations where inside‑zone and duo runs marry with Burrow’s play‑action glance routes. Brooks dominated in those exact concepts at Tech, displaying uncanny patience to let double‑teams establish before exploding through alley creases. His thick base shrugs off arm tackles, but what truly excites Bengal coaches is his pass‑pro instincts. Brooks routinely stoned blitzing linebackers in Lubbock, keeping quarterback Behren Morton upright long enough to launch deep shots. Expect him to gain third‑down trust quickly—a golden ticket to early‑season playing time.

Sixth‑round backs cracking 1,000 yards as rookies are rare but not unprecedented (see Alfred Morris in 2012 or Tyler Allgeier in 2022). Brooks’ environment may be even friendlier: a top‑10 passing game that forces light boxes and a rebuilt interior line headlined by glass‑eating guard Dylan Fairchild, himself a 2025 draftee. Combine those ingredients with Brooks’ tackle‑breaking symmetry and a 17‑game slate, and a 700‑yard, 6‑TD debut feels realistic—numbers that would replicate rookie Kareem Hunt’s impact in Kansas City eight years ago.

Beyond box scores, Brooks brings a palpable energy. Tech teammates lauded his “4 A.M. protein‑shake” work ethic, citing 5 a.m. sled pushes that attracted freshman linemen to join the grind. That ethos resonated in Cincinnati’s veteran‑laden locker room. Star wideout Ja’Marr Chase told reporters he texted Brooks within minutes of the pick, welcoming him to “Burrowhead North.” The rookie’s response? A simple red‑and‑black emoji chain followed by, “See you in the weight room Monday.”

Lubbock fans already plan a fall pilgrimage to Paycor Stadium, and Bengals merch officials confirmed Brooks ranks second only to Burrow in rookie‑jersey preorders—a remarkable feat for a day‑three sele.

Every prospect features caveats, and Brooks is no different. His college mileage is heavy, and while advanced tracking shows minimal explosive deceleration over 2024, wear‑and‑tear risk rises with each NFL hit. Additionally, his reception totals (27 catches last year) lag behind modern “do‑everything” archetypes—Bengal staff plan to drill route diversification all summer. Finally, Cincinnati’s offensive identity still swings on Burrow’s protection; if pass rushers collapse the pocket, run lanes evaporate.

Day‑three picks seldom alter power structures, but Tahj Brooks isn’t a typical sixth‑round flyer. He’s a record‑smashing workhorse who turned Big 12 Saturdays into demolition derbies and now joins a franchise starving for downhill authority. If his college knack for wrecking angles translates on Sundays, Cincinnati may have uncovered the draft’s ultimate value play—a thundering catalyst poised to jolt Riverfront afternoons and keep the AFC North arms race on tilt.

For Texas Tech faithful, the journey from Jones AT&T Stadium glory to NFL limelight couldn’t script a sweeter encore; for Bengals fans, the breakaway back they’ve craved since prime Joe Mixon might have just walked through the door—for the cost of a compensatory pick no one will remember come winter.