CINCINNATI – The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t selected a running back during the first two days of the draft since taking Joe Mixon in the second round in 2017.
And Mixon marks the only time they’ve done it in the last 11 drafts.
But there is another, more recent trend that is starting to change.
The first three running backs the Bengals drafted in the Zac Taylor era (2019-present) were ones who didn’t have substantial workloads in college, whether that be from a split role or injury-shortened seasons.
The idea was to find backs with less wear and tear.
Even Mixon fit that bill with just 300 collegiate carries at Oklahoma, where he split time with Samaje Perine.
But the selections of Chase Brown in the fifth round in 2023 and Tahj Boyd last week have marked a departure from that thought process.
Bengals director of college scouting Mike Potts touched on that during his post-draft appearance on The Growler podcast Tuesday night.
“Yeah, he did have a lot of tread on his tires, I guess you could say, in terms of the amount of carries that he had, but that produced a lot of production, a lot of yards, a lot of touchdowns and catches out of the backfield,” Potts said.
The first three running backs the Bengals selected in the Taylor era were Trayveon Williams (sixth round, 2019, Texas A&M), Rodney Anderson (sixth, 2019, Oklahoma) and Chris Evans (sixth, 2021, Michigan).
Williams had 600 carries in college, but only one season with more than 160.
Anderson had 200 carries.
And Evans had 320, but never a season with more than 160.
Fast forward to 2023, and the Bengals picked Brown after a career with 678 carries, including 328 in his final season, ranking second most in FBS.
Brooks arrives with 879 carries, including 290 in 2023 and 286 in 2024.
“I wouldn't say it's a change in the philosophy,” Potts said. “It just goes back to evaluating it from every different angle. There was a lot of different flavors and styles of running backs in this class.
“There's the speed guys, there's the really good guys as a receiver out of the backfield, the really good inside runners that are physical, big and strong, and then also the really good pass protectors,” Potts continued. “I think Tahj Brooks, why he was a target for us, is he's really well-rounded in a lot of those areas.”
Brooks’ 876 carries are tied for 25th most in college since 2000.
Among those ahead of him who went on to have productive NFL careers are former Bengal Cedric Benson (1,112), DeAngelo Williams (969), Jonathan Taylor (926), Ray Rice (910), Mewelde Moore (910).
“He’s a really well-rounded guy that throughout the process we had targeted,” Potts said of Brooks. “We grade the guys medically as well. There's some guys maybe that had the amount of rushes and targets that he had, that would have been a little bit more beat up medically.”
As is the case with all of the players the Bengals draft, the personal connection played an important role beyond the traits and production – of which Brooks had a lot with an impressive highlight reel.
Taylor mentioned how running backs coach Justin Hill had a connection with Brooks from recruiting him out of high school, and that played a key role as the Bengals remained in contact with the running back throughout the lead up to selecting him.
“He was really good when we talked to him,” Potts said. “We talked to him at the East-West game and spent time with him throughout the process. You guys had mentioned that Justin Hill had a relationship with him throughout the recruiting process, so he already had that rapport, hopping on the Zoom with him and talking to him.
“It was natural already having a relationship with him,” Potts added. “So he was really good throughout that process.”
