It was hard to avoid praise for the Cincinnati Bengals in the aftermath of their drafting offensive lineman Connor Lew in the fourth round of the NFL draft.
As we broke down in our instant analysis, the Bengals drafting Lew appeared like a steal at No. 128 and was clearly aimed at attempting to find a long-term option behind Ted Karras.
The farther we get from the draft and the more the results get combed over, one thing has become more obvious:
Lew might end up being the outright steal of the 2026 draft.
Lew suffered an ACL injury in October of 2025, which played a role in his fall down the board. But his film before that was great and he had two big things going for him: He’s just 20 years old, yet was a team captain who had already started 25 games in the SEC.
Over at CBS Sports, Mike Renner revealed that Lew was one of the biggest steals of the NFL draft when comparing his draft slot (128) to his personal big board (43):
“Lew was a three-year starter at Auburn and entered the draft at only 20-years old. Even at that age, he's one of the most technically sound linemen in the class. He fell to 128 because of an ACL tear, but the Bengals don't need him this year with Ted Karras in the last year of his contract. I would be surprised if he's not starting in 2027.”
That’s just one data point, but it’s a huge gap and a multiple-round difference for the Lew pick.
How about another point to consider? ESPN’s Mel Kiper wrote after the draft that Lew could have been the top center in the class:
“On offense, Connor Lew might have been the top center if not for an ACL injury last season, and Brian Parker II in the sixth round represented a double up at the position, since he's likely kicking inside in the pros. Ted Karras is 33, though, so the same logic I had on the Bears center selection applies here. Give Burrow a young center with a lot of upside. Lew has 25 starts of experience.”
Bengals fans are a long way from finding out if Lew can really seize the job. Karras is 33, but did another small extension with the Bengals and is under contract through at least 2026. Fans have also heard this story before with names like Matt Lee, a guy who was oddly released before the draft this offseason.
Still, Lew feels different. The signs are there. It’s certainly something to watch in the long view over multiple years, given how important properly reloading the line in front of Joe Burrow is going to continue to be.
This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Bengals’ NFL draft steal could be starter of the future