Tahj Brooks NFL Draft Projection: When is the Texas Tech RB draft eligible?

Tahj Brooks of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is eligible to enter the 2024 NFL Draft, but the decision on whether to declare will be interesting. However, the running back appears to have made his decision.

Brooks took to his Twitter account earlier today and officially announced he is returning to the Red Raiders for the 2024 college football season.

Tahj Brooks NFL Draft Projection

Tahj Brooks has proven to be an outstanding workhorse running back for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He was expected to be a top running back in the 2024 NFL draft class, but it will be interesting to see how NFL teams view the four-year senior in the 2025 draft.

What does Tahj Brooks' draft prospects look like in the 2025 NFL draft?

Brooks averaged 120.3 rushing yards per game in 2023, making the running back appealing to NFL teams. He was an AP All-Big 12 selection before being granted an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.

His coach, Joey McGuire, spoke about how excited the program is about getting him back with the program.

"This is an exciting day for our program with Tahj annouuncing his return for next season," McGuire said. "From our conversations in recent weeks, it was clear that Tahj wants to leave a legacy here at Texas Tech and that a return for next season would help him do just that. Not only is Tahj one of the nation's top running backs, but he is a phenomenal teammate and leader of this program." [via Fox Sports].

However, his draft stock has to be low as the running-back market is not too high. He is outside the top five running backs that are eligible for the draft, but with five years now in college, he is going to likely be a fringe Day 2 pick for whatever team selects him in the 2025 NFL draft.

Tahj Brooks college stats

Tahj Brooks is coming off his best offensive season, as he finished the regular season with 268 carries for 1,443 yards (5.4 yards per attempt) and nine rushing touchdowns, as well as 24 catches for 72 yards (3.0 yards per reception). However, it is unclear if he will participate in the Independence Bowl game against the California Golden Bears.

In four seasons of his college football career, Brooks has made 571 running attempts for 2,957 yards (5.2 yards per carry) and 27 rushing touchdowns, as well as 70 catches for 349 yards (5.0 yards per receive) and a receiving touchdown.