How Auburn Tigers Can Replace Connor Lew After Bengels Draft Selection

The Auburn Tigers have already been without their star center for some time, but they need to determine a long-term answer

Auburn sees a key member of the offensive line head to the NFL | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Another Auburn Tiger is officially off the NFL Draft board this season, as Connor Lew finally heard his name called in the fourth round of this year’s draft. He was the third Tiger to be picked up in this year’s draft, joining edge rushers Keldric Faulk and Keyron Crawford.

On Saturday afternoon in Pittsburgh, Lew was selected with the 128th overall pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, the same team that once picked up Auburn legend Takeo Spikes in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. 

Lew is one of two Auburn juniors to get picked up in this year’s draft, as Keldric Faulk was also only in his third year of eligibility before deciding it was time to make an NFL push. To be a junior and get picked up in the draft is quite impressive, and Lew certainly earned it for his performance at Auburn over three years.

As a prospect out of Kennesaw, Ga., Lew was a four-star who was the 20th-best offensive lineman in the 2023 class. He was originally expected to go to Miami, but made the decision to come to the Tigers to play for Hugh Freeze.

In three years with the Tigers, Lew was a full-time starter for two, barring a brief injury stint towards the tail end of the 2025 season, in which true freshman Kail Ellis stepped up in his stead. When he was healthy, though, he was one of the best in the league.

Over three years at Auburn, Lew accumulated SEC Freshman of the Week, SEC All-Freshman team, 24/7 Sports True Freshman All-American, PFF Freshman All-American and PFF Team of the Week honors for his stellar play.

So, how do the Tigers replace Lew, who was so dominant through three years with the program? Alex Golesh has been quite busy as he works to replace the offensive unit, and even joked that he needed prayers for the effort, but he is now confident in the pieces he has put together.

Golesh has picked up some familiar names from USF, including Cole Best and Cole Skinner, while also shopping the portal for other big names, like Stanton Ramil from Michigan State, Deryc Plazz from Miami and Jacob Strand from Oregon State.

On the recruiting front, the Tigers are also bringing in three-star interior offensive lineman Mykall Lundy-Foster in their 2026 class, while still working to land top prospects in future classes.

So, though it will certainly be difficult to replace an NFL-caliber offensive lineman like Lew, the Tigers will have a litany of options to work through as they begin to determine what the unit will look like come September.

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