Todd Monken recently talked about the interior offensive line last week, and how he described Elgton Jenkins made it sound like the team wants him to play guard in Cleveland.
If this is true, then the Browns are most likely planning to find their starting center for 2026 in this year’s NFL Draft. It makes sense from a value standpoint as well because the free agent market for the position is incredibly underwhelming right now.
With that being said, Auburn’s Connor Lew has been the most impressive center
in the 2026 class, and there’s a very good chance that Andrew Berry and Co. have Lew ranked pretty high on their big board.
Name: Connor Lew
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6’3.5”, 310 pounds
College: Auburn Tigers
2025 Stats: Started the first 7 games before getting injured. Lew was Auburn’s highest-graded OL in 4/7 games played in 2025.
Career Stats: 25-game starter for Auburn.
Average “Big Board” Position as of Publishing Date from Mock Draft Database: 71st overall, projected third round
What an expert is saying
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.
What an expert is saying (bonus round):
Brandon Thorn, Bleacher Report:
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.
Fit with the Browns
Lew is probably a top-two center in this year’s class, and he undoubtedly has the ability to come in and start for Cleveland on day one. As long as his health completely checks out and he passes all of his medicals before draft night, the sky is the limit for Connor Lew at the NFL level.
He’s incredibly cerebral, consistently keeping his head on a swivel in pass protection. This allows him to stay in front of loopers and twisters on a fairly consistent basis, which has been a problem for Cleveland’s OL as of late. Lew is also above-average in the movement skills and athleticism department, which allows him to effectively scoop and reach defenders in multiple alignments in the zone run game.
Connor Lew might have the highest ceiling in this year’s center class, and he would immediately upgrade that position for the Browns if they can find a way to land him within the first three to four rounds.
Browns player drafting could impact
Elgton Jenkins. As mentioned in Jake Slaughter’s evaluation as well, drafting a center in the third or fourth round of this month’s draft will confirm a full-time move to offensive guard for Jenkins in 2026.
Priority: 7/10
What are your thoughts on Connor Lew? Join fellow Browns fans in the comment section below.
