'He reminds me of Emmitt Smith': Bengals might have found the steal of the NFL Draft in this sixth-round pick

CINCINNATI -- Going into the 2025 season, the Cincinnati Bengals already have one of the most loaded offenses in the NFL, so adding another weapon seems almost unfair at this point, but the team might just have an emerging weapon in Tahj Brooks, a player they found near the bottom of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

The entire draft is a crapshoot: Every year, we see players get taken in the first round who go on to be a bust. On the flip side, there are also plenty of players who go on to shine despite being taken in a later round. 

Sometimes, a player will slip through the cracks, and that appears to be what happened with Brooks, who was taken in the sixth round with the 193rd overall pick. Brooks fell to the bottom of the draft despite a college career at Texas Tech that saw him rush for 4,560 yards, which ranks as the fourth-most in Big 12 history. The only players ahead of him on the all-time list are three NFL names you might recognize: Cedric Benson, Ricky Williams and Darren Sproles. 

Before training camp started in Cincinnati, Texas Tech head coach Joey McGuire gave Brooks the ultimate compliment: He compared the former Red Raiders running back to the NFL's all-time leading rusher. 

"His ability to make people miss, his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield," McGuire said in early July. "He really reminds me of Emmitt Smith."

When your college head coach is making comparisons like that, it's hard to live up to the hype, but Brooks has managed to do it so far. 

How Brooks is faring with the Bengals

Tahj Brooks

CIN • RB • #25

Career college stats: 4,557 rush yards (5.2 per carry) and 45 TD

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Through two weeks of training camp, Brooks has been impressive and the coaching staff has definitely taken notice. Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said Brooks is already showing off several key traits you want to see in a young running back. 

"I think he's got really good vision," Taylor said Tuesday. "He's got a good understanding of our protections, which is going to come at any young running back, especially in preseason games. That part can really expose you. So he's done a good job understanding the technique we want, what his assignments are."

Besides Brooks' ability in pass protection, Taylor also likes his ability to see things in the second-level. 

"He's had some really good runs for us," Taylor said. "He's got really good vision, once he gets past the line of scrimmage and it requires him to make that second-level read. I've seen some really good things from Tahj and we're excited about him."

On Saturday, the Bengals held their first practice of camp at Paycor Stadium, and with a large crowd watching on, the rookie showed just how fast he can burst through a hole. 

The Bengals clearly like Brooks, and they proved it last week when they made the decision to release Zack Moss. With Moss gone, that left Chase Brown, Samaje Perine and Brooks as the top three running backs on the roster. Brown is firmly planted in as the top running back, but Taylor still expects Brooks to contribute, which isn't always the case with a sixth-round pick. 

"I think Tahj can excel in all three phases of offense and can be a special teams contributor for us," Taylor said. "He can excel in the run game, he's got good hands in the pass game and I think he's a good enough protector to help us out there."

Brooks showed off his "good hands" during Tuesday's practice when he made a nice sideline grab on a throw from Joe Burrow. 

Brooks caught at least 25 passes in each of his final three seasons at Texas Tech, which means he should fit right in on a team that loves to throw to its running backs. Nearly 20% of Joe Burrow's completions in 2024 (85 of 460) went to a running back. 

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Brooks has high expectations for his rookie year 

Brooks is just 5-foot-9, which might explain why he fell in the draft, but he's built like a bowling ball and moves like a cat. That combination allowed him to top 1,500 rushing yards in each of his final two seasons at Texas Tech. Brooks isn't expecting to hit that number as a rookie, but he still does have some lofty expectations. 

"I feel like I can be a high contributor," Brooks told CBS Sports. "Biggest goal is to have at least 500 rushing yards. A couple touchdowns, probably eight-plus touchdowns, and then just try to get the team to the Super Bowl. That's the main goal right there, just going out and winning each week and trying to get this team to the Super Bowl."

If Brooks can hit 500 rushing yards with five touchdowns, he would pull off a rarity. Only two rookie running backs drafted in the sixth round or later have hit those numbers over the past 10 years: Elijah Mitchell with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and Isiah Pacheco with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2022. 

The notable connection there is that getting a surprise performance from a late-round rookie helped both teams. The 49ers made it all the way to the NFC title game in 2021 and the Chiefs ended up winning the Super Bowl in 2022, which was a year where they beat the Bengals in the AFC title game. 

In both instances, a high-powered offense found an unexpected weapon that helped spur the team to new heights. 

Although Brooks is confident, he knows he still has plenty to work on. 

"It's challenging sometimes, there's a lot of stuff you got to do," Brooks said of learning an NFL offense. "You got to take the extra prep on-and-off the field, get in your playbook each and every day. So when that time presents itself and that opportunity presents itself, you'll be ready for it."

When Brooks was asked about the biggest challenge of making the jump from college to the NFL, he didn't hesitate with his answer. 

"Pass protection," Brooks said. "Just blocking linebackers who are very technique sound and just knowing I have to use my technique on each and every rep and can't be lazy. That's probably the main thing, but everything is football, and football is football. Running the ball is something I do very well and then catching the ball is something (I do well). Just clean up my routes and things."

The good news for Brooks is that pass protection was actually his biggest strength in college, and he thinks that can translate to the NFL. 

"I feel like I'm an every-down guy, but probably being physical in pass protection, that's one of my biggest strengths," Brooks said. "I maybe gave up one sack (in college)."

Brooks is in a locker room full of NFL stars and he's definitely embracing it. He's taking advantage of the fact that he gets to learn from guys like Joe Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins. And he's also been learning a lot from the veterans in the Bengals running back room. 

"It's been great since I've got here," Brooks said of his fit with the Bengals. "Just the guys in the locker room, just competing on the offensive level with the guys we got on offense with the Joe's, the Ja'Marr's, the Tee's, the Chase Brown's, the Samaje's. The guys in my room have been a great help."

Brooks was one of just two running backs in the FBS last season who started at least 10 games and rushed for at least 100 yards in every start. The other guy was taken 187 spots higher at sixth overall: Ashton Jeanty. Brooks did it against Power Four competition, so it's certainly possible he's being slept on. 

Although Brooks was a sixth-round pick, you wouldn't know that by his confidence. He's ready to prove that the 31 other teams made a mistake by passing on him in April's draft.