The Bengals are more than set on offense headed into the 2025 season, at least at skill positions. The first five of their six picks went to defense or the offensive line, getting one fantasy-relevant player, running back Tahj Brooks, in the sixth round. Let’s take a look at his fantasy football prospects for 2025!
| Rd | Pick | Player | Pos | College |
| 1 | 17 | Shemar Stewart | DE | Texas A&M |
| 2 | 49 | Demetrius Knight | LB | South Carolina |
| 3 | 81 | Dylan Fairchild | OG | Georgia |
| 4 | 119 | Barrett Carter | LB | Clemson |
| 5 | 153 | Jalen Rivers | OG | Miami (FL) |
| 6 | 193 | Tahj Brooks | RB | Texas Tech |
Round 6, Pick 193: Tahj Brooks, Running Back, Texas Tech (5’9″, 214 lbs)
TALENT:
Brooks is a true workhorse back, and Texas Tech used him heavily last season, where he ranked among the league leaders in carries per game in the FBS. He was a hammer back for them, without being too flashy in his game. He is a simple throwback: he runs ahead and runs through defenders. Sometimes the defenders would stop him, but they didn’t stop him enough for it to work. He isn’t a very creative runner, mainly making his way upfield by breaking through blocks to run past defenders rather than evading them. He’s speedy enough to beat defenders to the edge. His hands play well enough to keep him from being a plodder, and he is big enough to make defenders hate tackling him when he gets a head of steam.
Brooks is yet another intriguing back in this class. He is a throwback to the mid-2010s running back style, where they were big enough to take a pounding, but still fast enough to make teams regret stacking the heavies against them. He should have value right away as a budget three-down back, in case something happens to Chase Brown and the Bengals press him into service.
NFL Comparison: David Montgomery
Pre-Draft Grade: 5th Round
2025 OPPORTUNITY:
Depth Chart:
RB1 Chase Brown
RB2 Tahj Brooks
RB3 Samaje Perine
RB4 Zack Moss
Ourlads.com has Zack Moss pegged for the RB2 role in this offense, but I don’t know what he does notably better than Tahj Brooks. I am bullish on Brooks’ prospects as a pure backup to Chase Brown; he likely doesn’t get the third-down role (Samaje Perine is back to do that), and he isn’t the hammer back (that would be Moss, if he makes the team). But, if something happens to Chase Brown, I love Brooks’ ability to step in and be a bellcow, like he did for Texas Tech.
2025 OUTLOOK:
The Bengals, ideally, don’t use Brooks. His role on the roster is pure Chase Brown insurance, and he isn’t as good as Brown. Should Brown suffer an injury, then Brooks is an add. Unfortunately, given that the Bengals will likely split the volume three ways in the event of a Brown injury, I struggle to find early-season value for Brooks. He’s a deep league lottery ticket, for now.
