Connor Lew was one of five Auburn Tigers who heard their name called at the 2026 NFL draft. Lew was taken at No. 128 overall in the fourth round by the Cincinnati Bengals, being the third Tiger and first offensive player taken off the board.
Cincinnati offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher explained the pick on Saturday, and it came down to Lew being able to properly articulate what he needs to do at the center position at the professional level. Per Pitcher, "He was asked to do a lot of the things that we ask our center to do when it comes to getting in and out of protections and readjusting Mike points in the run game. Basically, everything you have to be able to do to function as a center at this level, he’s already been asked to do, and he can articulate that at a really high level, and it’s confident when he does it. You can tell some guys guess. They guess at the right answer when they’re talking to you. Some guys know the right answer. Connor knows the right answer. And so that part puts you at ease for a young player."
"And then physically, he just fits us. He’s big. He’s wide-bodied. He’s stout in protection. I mean, just fortunate to be able to bring him in when we did and can’t wait to work with him. ... You got to be able to pass protect to the play for us. And you got to know at the center position how to get everybody else pointed in the right direction. He does that. He can anchor and solidify the interior of the pocket. He’s smart, he’s athletic and he just has a lot of tools to work with," Pitcher added.
It's easy to hear that and assume that Lew's head coach and quasi-lead play-caller, Hugh Freeze, was the reason for his success over the past three years and why he's able to so elequently describe his assignments.
Freeze isn't the reason Lew is ready, though.
Connor Lew arrived to Auburn ready to contribute
Lew arrived on the Plains ready to start. And that he did, starting six games as a freshman en route to 25 starts over three seasons. Lew had his 2025 season cut short when he tore his ACL back in October, which probably sunk his draft stock by at least one round.
Freeze didn't mold Lew into what he's become. Quite frankly, it's Kennesaw Mountain Mustangs head coach Caleb Carmean, offensive coordinator Chris Walker, and offensive line coach Adam Wilson who deserve the credit for having him prepared for the NFL. Not Freeze and Jake Thornton.
With that said, three years practicing at the Woltosz Football Performance Center, battling elite defenses coached by DJ Durkin, and a less-than-elite but still solid unit coached by Ron Roberts, helped Lew perform well enough on the field to be a fourth-round NFL draft pick.
As the first offensive lineman drafted from the Tigers since Braden Smith in 2018, Lew will have a chance to prove that every so often, Auburn finds a gem in the offensive trenches.
Freeze found him, but his coaching staff didn't develop him. If they had, maybe Lew would've gone even higher in the draft, despite coming off a season-ending injury.
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