Auburn center Connor Lew’s draft profile is a mix of projection, production, and timing. Before his knee injury, his stock was quietly building real momentum. Now, teams are left weighing what they saw on film against his medical timeline.
How an ACL Injury Reshaped Connor Lew’s Draft Trajectory
When Lew suffered a torn ACL on October 18, 2025, it was the last time he suited up for the Tigers, but not the last time he took to the gridiron.
“This whole process has been unbelievable,” Lew told the media after Auburn’s Pro Day. “It’s everything you dream about growing up as a kid, being a big fan of this sport and it’s finally here and you’re the one actually running these drills, you’re the one doing the bench press, you’re the one in these meetings talking to these scouts it’s been great overall.”
During episode 14 of PFSN’s Football Debate Club, guest draft analyst Newt Westen praised Lew as a Day 2 prospect he would go to bat for:
“My guy is Connor Lew and it’s not a question in terms of what those guys can’t do it’s what Lew could be as a center prospect. Very smart player. I think he’s been all SEC all three of his years there. Wrestler background.
“And another guy that just understands how to command a line plays bigger than his frame and that’s already at 310. I think he’s a dominant presence in there. And I think some teams can get a steal with him coming off that ACL injury kind of maybe more as a late day to rather than the early that he should be.”
PFSN draft analyst Ian Cummings added:
“If he didn’t tear his ACL, I think we would have seen him be around to pick top 64. I won’t go as far as saying top 50. I won’t go as far as saying the top center off the board because I do like his film better either way. But I still think Lew is one of the top centers in the class. And for a lot of the reasons that Newt mentioned earlier, right?
“6’4”, 310, over 32-inch arms. He had a 2.5 % pressure rate this past year, but only a 79.8 PFSN [impact score] and an all-impact rate. And what I think that speaks to is a very good pass protector, but I don’t know if the power element is there in the run game as much as I would like for the top center off the board for a top 50 prospect. So that’s where I’m pouring the cool water on.”
In his latest mock draft, Cummings projected Lew to fall as low as the Tennessee Titans at 66. He wrote: “After releasing Lloyd Cushenberry, the Titans need a new starting center. Connor Lew isn’t overly powerful, but is incredibly sound, balanced, and light on his feet at the fulcrum.”
From a metrics standpoint, PFSN still views Lew as one of the top interior options in the class:
- PFSN Grade: 83.97
- PFSN Rank: #57
- OC Rank: #1
Lew is one of the youngest and most pro-ready centers in the 2026 NFL Draft. He became a starter midway through his true freshman season after taking over for Avery Jones and never gave the job back, earning Freshman All-American recognition before starting every game in 2024.
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At 6-foot-3 and 310 pounds, Lew plays with natural leverage, strong lower-body mass, and enough explosion to consistently reach landmarks and stack blocks in the run game.
In pass protection, he anchors smoothly and uses active hands, traits that helped drive his low-pressure rate and overall efficiency.
Even the production-based metrics reflect some fluctuation. Lew finished PFSN’s CFB Player OL impact rankings at No. 198 with a 79.8 impact score and a C+ grade this past season. In 2024, he was No. 67 with an 87.1 impact score and a B+ grade.
The player who looked like a clear top-64 candidate now sits in a more complicated range. Lew remains one of the smartest and most technically sound centers in the class. If the medicals check out, a team could find significant value betting on him late on Day 2.
