Did Auburn's Connor Lew Help or Hurt His Stock at the Combine?

After a season-ending injury during his final season with the Auburn Tigers, Lew is focused on earning some stock back at the NFL combine

The Auburn Tigers center stood out in a few ways at the combine | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Auburn Tigers center Connor Lew entered the 2025 season as the top center prospect in this year’s draft class and was mocked as high as the back of the first round in the fall. However, a season-ending ACL tear in October has called his draft stock into question. Lew was one of six Tigers to attend the NFL Combine last weekend, and aimed to leave a good impression on NFL teams.

Though many view the Combine as purely an athletic testing event, one of the most important aspects of the event is the team interviews, where prospects sit down with personnel members of interested teams to help front offices get a better impression of their personality. I sat down with SI draft expert Daniel Flick to discuss how Lew performed in those interviews and gauge the expected draft range of Auburn’s former center.

“I was very impressed by him,” Flick said. “He did mention that he expects to be ready to go by the time training camp rolls around the end of summer. He probably won't be active a whole lot in the early part of camp, but once you get past that break, after mini camp, after OTAs, he'll be good to go on the flip side of that. Once they arrive in late July for camp, he'll be good to go.”

Lew’s recovery process will be the chief interest among NFL teams when it comes to his evaluation. As we have seen this offseason with Tennessee cornerback Jermod McCoy, if the medicals are not clear for a player, that player can quickly find himself sliding down the board. 

Though center and cornerback are vastly different positions, Lew will still need to prove that he will be able to recover and move effectively, as a player’s agility is key on the interior of the offensive line. Though a lineman also needs to show strength, and that was where Lew shone the brightest.

He posted 31 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, the fourth-highest mark of any player at this season’s combine and the second-highest mark by a center at the event. So, even if Lew’s knee isn’t fully healed, he has not lost any of his strength.

The most important aspect of playing center is arguably a player’s understanding of the game, as the center needs to be able to communicate with the rest of his line and make proper adjustments, as well as be on the same page as his quarterback. Lew is exceptional at that part of the game and impressed those at the combine with his football IQ.

“I was impressed by how smart he is,” Flick said. “He is wired the right way. Hearing him talk, you could feel his intelligence really pop. You could feel that, OK, this guy has the IQ of an NFL center. So, for what he could do, I thought he did very well this week. Honestly, again, he's incredibly smart. He impressed me just hearing him talk.”

So, if Lew can bounce back from injury, he has the tools to be a solid NFL player for years to come. Though, how will that ultimately affect his draft position?

“He's very good, and teams recognize that,” Flick said. “I don't think he'll make it to round two. I think he'll probably be a round-three guy. But, I don't think there's anything this week that inherently hurt.”

Selecting a starting center in round 3 would be quite the pick for whichever NFL team chooses to turn in the card for Lew on day 2 of the draft, but it would not be the first time an exceptional player has fallen due to injury concerns. For Lew, the best thing he can do is continue to focus on his recovery and trust his outstanding football IQ to get him up to speed through the summer and fall.