Chase Brown drafted in fifth round by Bengals

Chase Brown has found an NFL home.

The Bengals selected Brown with the 163rd overall pick in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The London, Ontario native spent three full seasons in Champaign after transferring to Illinois from Western Michigan in 2019.

In 2022, Brown was one of the best running backs in college football, rushing for 1,643 yards — which ranked 4th nationally — and adding 13 total touchdowns.

He was a Doak Walker Award finalist (nation’s top RB), a Second Team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and media, and an Associated Press Second Team All-American.

At the NFL Combine in March, Brown measured at 5-foot-9, 209 pounds and showed out for scouts, ranking 1st among all running back participants in three different categories:

Here’s what NFL.com Draft Analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Brown:

Volume ball-carrier with a compact frame and high-end stamina to wear defenses down. Brown is less slasher than he is a between-the-tackles grinder. He needs to prove he can be an effective outside runner to help widen the field. He’s natural and agile as a one-cut runner and has the receiving talent to make plays out of the backfield. He’s a bit of a one-note runner but could compete for a three-down backup role with a limited ceiling.

Brown will now join a backfield in Cincinnati that includes Joe Mixon and will have a chance to compete for carries this fall.