Fast facts about Bengals' hyped rookie Connor Lew

Story by

Billy Riccette, Bengals Wire

Wed, May 6, 2026 ·

2 min read

Rolling on with our series of getting to know the Cincinnati Bengals ' draft picks, we move into the fourth round, where the Bengals made two selections. We'll start with Cincinnati's potential future at the center position , Connor Lew of Auburn.

Among some of the youngest prospects in the 2026 class, thanks to graduating early

Lew is still only 20 years old. He does not turn 21 until August 30. In other words, he'll go through training camp and most of the preseason and still not even be able to legally have a drink. That's mainly because Lew successfully graduated from Auburn early, finishing in December of last year. He elected to skip his senior season and make the jump to the NFL.

Position switch in high school led to team and individual success

Lew started at left tackle as a freshman at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia. Lew started at left tackle as a freshman at Kennesaw Mountain High School in Georgia. The team wasn't having much success, going 0-10 in 2019 and losing their first four games of 2020.

Lew was moved to center, a position he had never played. But he took the switch in stride -- learned the position while on a family beach vacation -- and rode a wave of success. He was named all-state as a senior in 2022 following a 7-3 season that also saw him catch a touchdown pass.

Targeting training camp for return from ACL tear

Lew was a preseason All-SEC selection for the 2025 season. Unfortunately, his season was cut short in October following a torn ACL. That was obviously a cause for his slide to the fourth round. He is hoping to return to action by training camp as he continues to rehab his knee. Before the injury, he had started 25 games across three seasons for the Tigers.

Lew did give a positive update on the knee after the draft, saying, "The knee is great. No setbacks. If anything, I'm a little ahead of schedule. Thinking I will be 100 percent for camp."

This article originally appeared on Bengals Wire: Fast facts about Bengals' hyped rookie Connor Lew