C4 Connor Lew Auburn

GRADE OVR. RANK YEAR BIRTHDAY AGE HT WT JERSEY

3rd-4th round - 3JR Aug 30, 2005 20.65 6'4" 310 lbs. No. 75

BACKGROUND

Connor Lew, the oldest of two boys, grew up in Kennesaw, Ga., with his parents (Bill and Rebecca). His younger brother (Carson) is a

tight end recruit in the 2027 class. Lew started playing football in third grade and fell in love immediately. (Lew: “It’s one of the few

sports where you can go hit someone and not get in trouble for it. … I loved that.”) Lew also played baseball and basketball as a kid.

Lew enrolled at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Cobb County, Ga., where he was a four-year starter on varsity. He won the starting

left tackle job as a freshman in 2019, but the offense averaged just 7 points per game and Mountain finished 0-10. The team started

winless over the first four games of 2020 as well, and the coaching staff made changes on the offensive line, including moving Lew from

left tackle to center. Although he was new to snapping and helping the quarterback make the calls (he’d never played center before),

Lew quickly learned the new position — he first started practicing it while on vacation at the beach — and was named honorable

mention all-county. He helped Mountain finish 4-2 over its final six games to earn a playoff spot. Lew stayed at center for his final two

years of high school and also played on the defensive line, combining for 29 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. As a

junior, Lew helped lead Mountain to a 10-win season in 2021, including the school’s first playoff win and regional title. For his senior

season in 2022, Mountain moved up to Class 7A and held its own with a 7-3 record. Lew caught a 20-yard touchdown and was named

first-team all-state, all-region and all-county, plus he received an invitation to the All-American Bowl. He also lettered in wrestling at

Mountain and set several school records in the weight room. Lew graduated with a 4.3 GPA.

A four-star recruit, Lew was the 33rd-ranked interior offensive lineman in the 2023 class and the No. 47 recruit in Georgia. He started

to hear more from recruiters after his sophomore season, and he received his first FBS offers from Georgia Tech, Virginia, Virginia Tech

and West Virginia. As a junior, Lew added offers from Florida State, Kentucky, Louisville, NC State, Penn State, Pitt, South Carolina and

Tennessee before announcing a final four of Auburn, Clemson, Georgia and Miami. Before the start of his senior year, Lew committed to

Miami (August 2022). However, he had a change of heart and flipped to Auburn three months later, just before signing day. Lew was

the sixth-ranked recruit in former head coach Hugh Freeze’s 2023 class.

He graduated in just three years (December 2025). Despite suffering a season-ending knee injury midway through the 2025 season,

Lew elected to skip his senior season and enter the NFL Draft.

STATISTICS AND MEASUREMENTS

YEAR (GP/GS) POSITION NOTES

2023: (10/6) C Freshman All-American; SEC All-Freshman; Started final six games; enrolled January 2023

2024: (12/12) C

2025: (7/7) C Missed final six games (left knee); team captain

Total: (29/25) C

HT WT HAND ARM WING BP 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C NOTES

COMBINE 6034 310 9 32 3/8 78 7/8 31 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP No workout (left knee)

PRO DAY 6032 309 9 1/4 32 1/4 78 7/8 DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP -

STRENGTHS

● Good initial quickness to step or jump-snap defenders

● Coordinated mover to pull/climb with tempo and body control

● Does nice job surfacing blocks in the run game and handles himself well vs. linebackers

● Active use of hands in pass pro to set parameters for rushers

● Adequate anchor; works hard to grow roots versus bull rushers

● Younger player but has mental capacity to take mental load off rest of the line

● Locates blitzers from depth and processes movement across his face

● Voted a team captain by his teammates in 2025

● Reliable and can be trusted in the program (stepped into leadership role as a sophomore)

Back to table of contents 313

WEAKNESSES

● Small snapping hands

● Needs to keep his feet alive in pass pro to keep rushers from attacking his edges (see 2025 Texas A&M tape)

● Can be overwhelmed and discarded by point of attack power

● Doesn’t have length or pop to create knockback

● Struggles to dig out and drive defenders in the run game

● 100 percent of college snaps came at center — unproven position flex

● Torn ACL in left knee (Oct. 2025), which ended his final season and sidelined him for draft process; plans to receive an update from

his surgeon in April and expects to be ready for training camp

SUMMARY

A three-year starter at Auburn, Lew started at center (right-handed snapper) in former head coach Hugh Freeze’s balanced (gap and

zone) scheme. It didn’t take long for him to break into the starting lineup as a true freshman and establish himself as one of the top

up-and-coming linemen in the SEC. There were high expectations for his 2025 season, but a torn left ACL sidelined him for the second

half of the season and the draft process.

An efficient athlete, Lew moves well laterally — you can tell on tape how much he enjoys blocking wide-zone calls. The coaching staff

didn’t hesitate to put a lot on his plate, and he proved himself by setting protections and making run-game alerts based on defensive

structure. He has decent base strength to wall-off run lanes and stalemate bull rushers, when he stays in position. His hands are active

but lack voltage, and he will never be much of a people mover. Overall, Lew isn’t a strong drive blocker and needs to develop

better consistency, but he has the movement skills and instincts to get the job done in the NFL. He has starting

potential, if he stays healthy and proves he can match up physically with NFL power.

Connor Lew

Auburn

C

Prospect Info

College

Auburn

Hometown

Class

Kennesaw, GA

Junior

Height

6'3 1/2"

Weight

310 lbs

Arm

32 3/8"

Hand

9"

• 2023: Freshman All-American. SEC All-Freshman Team. Played in 12 games with 6 starts at C.

• 2024: Started all 12 games at C.

• 2025: Started 7 games at C. Missed the end of the season with an ACL injury.

Draft Projection

Round 3

NFL Comparison

Zach Frazier

Overview

Lew is a team captain recovering from an ACL injury suffered in October 2025. He’s a natural bender with better foot quickness and athleticism than he shows in the Auburn run scheme. He has strong hands and a strong core to neutralize. He can bump and climb with good fluidity. He’s average as a drive blocker and needs to play with better consistency to mirror the rush without over-setting. His frame and game will continue to improve with time. Lew’s toughness, intelligence and leadership give him a slight grade bump and are core traits that should make him a solid starter.

Strengths

• Should continue filling out his frame.

• Good snap/reach and snap/step quickness.

• Strong hands and core to neutralize/seal at the point.

• Athletic but patient when climbing up to linebackers.

• Plays with desired physicality and finish as a run blocker.

• Identifies rush front and sets protections.

• Consistent in re-leveraging his hands when needed.

• Wrestling background shows up with hip roll to anchor.

Sources Tell Us
“A lot of the centers this year don’t translate into our game like Lew will.” - NFC personnel director

Another OL with a wrestling background, which is what Peters likes.

Torn ACL in October, sound like otherwise he would have been drafted higher. Want to hear how severe the tear is and how far into rehab he is.

Scouting Report which saw him as a first rd pick before his ACL injury ...

2 minutes ago, Jamie_B said:

Torn ACL in October, sound like otherwise he would have been drafted higher. Want to hear how severe the tear is and how far into rehab he is.

Excellent pick

"Strong case for him being a first-round pick."

"A future pro bowl center"

Team captain also

Seems like a guy who was destined to be a first-rounder before his injury, but since the Bengals already have Karras for a year or two, they can go slow with getting him ready (Lew is only 20 years old as well, which helps).

He was one of the highest-rated Cs. They obviously needed help there and this kid is young, and has good starting experience in an SEC program.

Great pick.

Reading all sorts of “analysis” that he doesn’t have run-block abilities and is a “step slow” in pass blocking.

One “journalist’” ceiling is another “journalist’s” floor it seems

So we still don't have a backup center until this guy rehabs an ACL.

Did Mike break out of whatever closet they'd trapped him in? These 2 4th rounders kinda suck IMO. One beat his pregnant GF and another bum knee for the roster. Oof.

44 minutes ago, Le Tigre said:

Reading all sorts of “analysis” that he doesn’t have run-block abilities and is a “step slow” in pass blocking.

One “journalist’” ceiling is another “journalist’s” floor it seems

And weak at the point of attack, "light in the ass".. and a bum knee. They can fix him!

Shows the value of 4th round draft picks I suppose. Trading that 5th for Flacco looks even better now, guess that's something.

Round 4

No. 128 (via Jets): Connor Lew, C, Auburn

How he fits

Connor Lew in the fourth round could wind up as a great value pick for the Bengals, so long as Lew’s able to overcome the knee injury he suffered in October. Lew is a very good athlete, a great zone center who plays with power over the ball and has high upside as a protector. Before his injury, he was still under consideration for the top 50 on my board. We’ll see how it goes. — Nick Baumgardner

Dane Brugler’s analysis

Lew isn’t a strong drive blocker and needs to develop better consistency, but he has the movement skills and instincts to get the job done in the NFL. He has starting potential if he stays healthy and proves he can match up physically with NFL power.

Paul Dehner Jr.’s analysis

Cincinnati had no backup on the roster for Ted Karras, who is in the final year of his contract. Lew was a Freshman All-American for the Tigers and is only 20 years old. He tore his ACL in October and is expected to be ready to go for camp. Lew has a wrestling background, which fits the style of offensive line coach Scott Peters, who landed a winner in third-round guard Dylan Fairchild last year. The hope is that Lew can establish himself in the background this year and potentially be the future whenever the team and Karras part ways.

10 minutes ago, T-Dub said:

So we still don't have a backup center until this guy rehabs an ACL.

Did Mike break out of whatever closet they'd trapped him in. These 2 4th rounders kinda suck IMO. One beat his pregnant GF and another bum knee for the roster. Oof.

FWIW, Dehner said he should be ready to go by camp.

1 minute ago, esjbh2 said:

FWIW, Dehner said he should be ready to go by camp.

OK, that's something. If he can do that and not get worn like a hood ornament facing Dex I may come around but still.. Why take the bum knee instead of a healthy player?

WEAKNESSES

● Small snapping hands (yipes!)

● Needs to keep his feet alive in pass pro to keep rushers from attacking his edges (see 2025 Texas A&M tape)

● Can be overwhelmed and discarded by point of attack power

● Doesn’t have length or pop to create knockback

● Struggles to dig out and drive defenders in the run game

● 100 percent of college snaps came at center — unproven position flex

● Torn ACL in left knee (Oct. 2025), which ended his final season and sidelined him for draft process; plans to receive an update from

his surgeon in April and expects to be ready for training camp

SUMMARY

a torn left ACL sidelined him for the second half of the season and the draft process.(Injured)

An efficient athlete, (not great, excellent or even good)

. He has decent base strength ⬆️

His hands are active but lack voltage, and he will never be much of a people mover.

Overall, Lew isn’t a strong drive blocker and needs to develop better consistency,

if he stays healthy and proves he can match up physically with NFL power.

Shave his head and call him Billy.