With the 128th pick in the NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals
landed Connor Lew, a center from Auburn who could eventually be the heir apparent to Ted Karras.Lew played three seasons at Auburn, earning Freshman All-American honors after starting the final six games in 2023. Although he tore his ACL in his left knee and missed Auburn’s last six games in 2025, this is a player who played 29 games and started 25 of them over three seasons.
After speculation that the Bengals may trade down in the Draft,
that’s exactly what they did. They traded the 110th and 199th overall picks to the New York Jets in exchange for the 128th and 140th overall picks. The Jets used the 110th pick to select Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik.
Now, the Bengals get Lew to come in behind Ted Karras, and he could eventually be the player who replaces Karras in a few years.
Lew is the fourth-ranked center in The Athletic’s Dane Brugler’s draft guide, “The Beast.” Originally from Kennesaw, Georgia, Lew was a 4-star recruit who originally committed to Miami, but he flipped to Auburn three months later. Here is Brugler’s summary of Lew.
“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.“
The Ringer compares Lew to Tyler Biadasz, the current starting center for the Los Angeles Chargers. NFL.com compares Lew to Zach Frazier, the current starting center for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
What Connor Lew brings to the Bengals
- Leadership: Lew was a team captain in 2025 with Auburn. When the Bengals were at their peak as an organization in 2021 and 2022, they were led by players who were captains with their previous NFL teams or in college and high school. The fact that Lew is a captain serves him and the Bengals well.
- Youth: Lew won’t turn 21 until August 30. That’s okay. While the Bengals are returning all five starters on their offensive line for the 2026 season, it is an older offensive line. The fact that Lew isn’t 21 yet is great. When he is counted on, he won’t have a lot of tread on the tires. Brugler said that even with being a younger player, Lew has the “mental capacity to take mental load off the rest of the line.”
- Pass protection: Can he block for No. 9? Yes, he can! Brugler listed several strengths for Lew that correlate to the passing game. Two strengths that stand out are his active use of his hands to set parameters for pass rushers, and he can locate blitzers from depth and process movement across his face. That tells you he can not only play his position well, but he can also see the whole defensive front from his position
Why the Bengals picked Connor Lew
- Offensive line depth: Even with this being the Bengals’ best offensive line of the Joe Burrow era, they still need depth. The NFL is a war-of-attrition league, especially in the trenches. More bodies means more depth and a greater margin for error.
- Plan in place: Ted Karras is still rock solid at center. But he is 33 years old. The Bengals are smart to draft a center in the fourth round to potentially step into Karras’ role in a couple of years, or if he has to step in this season in the event Karras’ play takes a step down this season.
