Connor Lew
Cincinnati BengalsOur College Grade
How good he was in college at what his position is supposed to do, out of 100. Scored against everyone else at his position, adjusted for the level he played at. This is not his NFL grade.
College Production
AUBURN · SEC
| Season | G | PrsA | SkA | HitA | Pen | PBE | Pos Rk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 99.1 | 18 |
| 2024 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 98.8 | 133 |
| 2025 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 98.7 | 82 |
The seasons in our college data. It does not always reach back to a player's first year.
Scouting Report
AUBURN · 2026 draft class
Connor Lew is widely regarded as the best center and interior offensive lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft class. At 6'3" and 303 pounds, the Auburn pivot has the desired build for the position with good compact mass, great natural leverage, stellar functional athleticism, and passable play strength. What jumps off the screen is a center with exceptional movement skills who can execute in space-the athleticism shows up consistently on pulls, screens, and climbing blocks. Lew is a quick, accurate, and independent striker in pass protection, allowing him to latch and control reps early in the down. He shows tremendous football IQ making protection calls, consistently identifying stunts and blitzes pre-snap and directing traffic for an inexperienced line. As a sophomore in 2024, he surrendered just one sack and nine pressures across 442 pass-blocking snaps-elite production for any interior lineman. His wide, low base in his pre-snap stance sets the stage for a fundamentally sound approach, allowing him to win the leverage battle consistently. However, a torn ACL has prematurely ended his 2025 season and placed his pre-draft process in question. The one deficiency in his report is power-Lew visibly lacks high-end mass and length, and he's not a consistent displacer off the line nor an elite finisher.
Strengths
- Best center prospect in 2026 draft class
- Elite pass protection technician with phenomenal hand placement
- Surrendered just 1 sack 9 pressures across 442 snaps as sophomore
- Exceptional movement skills executes in space
- Moves like pulling guard with lateral quickness and balance
- Gets to second level with ease on climbs
- Tremendous football IQ identifying stunts and blitzes pre-snap
- Quick accurate independent striker latche's early
- Wide low base wins leverage battle consistently
- Alert clear eyes processing secondary threats
Concerns
- Torn ACL ended 2025 season places draft process in question
- Visibly lacks high-end mass and length
- Not a consistent displacer off the line
- Not an elite finisher in run game
- Power is one clear deficiency in scouting report
- Passable but not dominant play strength
- Injury recovery timeline uncertain for draft
- May need to prove health at combine/pro day
Honors
#1 Center in 2026 class; #42 overall prospect; First-round projection pre-injury