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.<\/p>\n
If this is true, then the Browns are most likely planning to find their starting center for 2026 in this year\u2019s NFL Draft. It makes sense from a value standpoint as well because the free agent market for the position is incredibly underwhelming right now.<\/p>\n
With that being said, Auburn\u2019s Connor Lew has been the most impressive center in the 2026 class, and there\u2019s a very good chance that Andrew Berry and Co. have Lew ranked pretty high on their big board.<\/p>\n
Height\/Weight: 6\u20193.5\u201d, 310 pounds<\/p>\n
2025 Stats: Started the first 7 games before getting injured. Lew was Auburn\u2019s highest-graded OL in 4\/7 games played in 2025.<\/p>\n
Career Stats: 25-game starter for Auburn.<\/p>\n
Lew is a team captain recovering from an ACL injury suffered in October 2025. He\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s toughness, intelligence and leadership give him a slight grade bump and are core traits that should make him a solid starter.<\/p>\n
What an expert is saying (bonus round):<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Lew is probably a top-two center in this year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Connor Lew might have the highest ceiling in this year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Browns player drafting could impact<\/p>\n