Connor Lew NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Cincinnati Bengals IOL

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Auburn IOL Connor Lew with the No. 128 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Connor Lew is a young prospect with a solid all-around skill-set who operates on time with good positional leverage. However, Lew has an underdeveloped frame and lacks an elite trait. Even so, the runway to improve and develop into a starter remains.

Lew is a 6'3", 310-pound center prospect, who entered the Auburn program as a 4-star recruit in the 2023 class.

Lew is in his third-year as the Tigers' starting center. He took over as the starting pivot in Week 8 as a true freshman in 2023 and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. He finished his career with 25 starts at the pivot, including six games in 2025 before suffering a torn left ACL. Lew was also a team captain in 2025.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award. 

Highlights

Connor Lew Highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Snaps out of his stance and plays with a flat-back posture, head out of blocks and active hands.

- Quick, accurate and independent striker in pass protection allow him to latch and control reps early in the down.

- Alert, clear eyes to process movement and secondary threats before providing timely help to secure the A gaps against loopers and blitzes.

- Solid athletic ability and movement skills allow him to timely negotiate combo blocks and intersect backers on climbs.

Areas of Improvement

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- Adequate play strength results in regularly getting stalemated, flattened out on overtakes and pried open as the rep progresses.

- Average size, weight and mass leave him conceding ground more than owning it.

Grade, Rank and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 7.0 (High-Level Backup/Starter Upside - 3rd Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: Beaux Limmer (6.8 in 2024), Dylan Parham (7.3 in 2022), Luke Fortner (7.2 in 2022)

OVERALL RANK: 116

POSITION RANK: IOL11

PRO COMPARISON: Matt Hennessy

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'3"
Weight: 310
Arm: 32 ⅜"
Hand: 9"

40-Yard Dash: NA
10-Yard Split: NA
Vertical: NA
Broad: NA
Shuttle: NA
3-Cone: NA
Bench: NA