Random Draft Thoughts

Connor Lew is a versatile Auburn center prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft, known for intelligence, leadership, and strong fundamentals, though recovering from an ACL injury.
College Career and Background
Connor Lew grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, excelling in football and wrestling at Kennesaw Mountain High School while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. A four-star recruit, he was rated a top-10 interior line prospect nationally and earned all-state honors and an All-American Bowl invite. At Auburn, Lew became the starting center midway through his freshman season in 2023, earning SEC Freshman of the Week, All-Freshman, and Freshman All-America honors. He started 29 games over three seasons, totaling 1,603 snaps, allowing only three sacks and drawing eight penalties. His sophomore year included 12 starts, a PFF Team of the Week nod, captaincy, and a Rimington Trophy watch list spot.

Physical Attributes
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 303 lbs
Build: Thick lower half, strong hands, functional strength, NFL-ready interior lineman frame
Athleticism: Good foot quickness, core strength, and ability to climb to the second level

Skills and Strengths
Versatility: Can play center and guard, handling multiple interior positions
Pass Protection: Excellent pre-snap processor, identifies stunts, twists, and blitzes; shows patience, balance, and leverage
Run Blocking: Generates movement at the point of attack, executes combo blocks, climbs to linebackers efficiently, and finishes with physicality
Leadership and Intelligence: Team captain, demonstrates toughness, awareness, and strong football IQ
Technique: Strong hands, core, and hip roll from wrestling background; consistent in re-leveraging hands and maintaining leverage

Review from SI.com:
Connor Lew 2026 NFL Draft Prospect Profile, Grades, Rank, Measurements

The Tigers center is a top prospect for the 2026 NFL draft, and here's everything you need to know about him.

Auburn's center Connor Lew is one of the top center prospects in this draft class and is still very young as a true junior entering the NFL. Lew has plenty of room to grow and has intangibles that make his ceiling very high in the right offensive scheme.

Lew arrived at Auburn as a four star recruit out of the state of Georgia. He took over the starting center role on Auburn's offensive line midway through his freshman season. Lew had a phenomenal sophomore season that had many draft analysts penciling him in as a potential first round pick in this upcoming draft.

Auburn lost multiple starters on the offensive line and Lew did not have the expected leap of a season that analysts were projecting. Unfortunately, Lew ended up tearing his ACL in October during a week eight contest against Missouri.

The injury Lew sustained means with the best time table for recovery, he would not be ready for football activities until some time during training camp. The injury timeline complicates Lew's arrival in the NFL. He likely will be rushed if he is trying to compete as a day one starter. Lew also will not turn 21 until the end of preseason and will need to get stronger to prepare for NFL defensive lineman

Lew may face a tough hill to climb in order to play early in his rookie season but he does have traits that will get him into the lineup sooner rather than later health permitting. Some lineman have what can only be described as jedi powers. They can see things before they happen and can see through the traffic and chaos. Lew regularly displays this ability to see stunts, twists, blitzes and second level defenders crashing through rush lanes.

Measurables
Name: Conner Lew
Height/weight/class: 6'3 303lbs, center, Junior
Awards: 2023 SEC All-Freshman team

What Connor Lew does well
Phenomenal vision and ability to see and feel games and stunts
Good athlete and shows ability to climb to second level defenders very well
Able to reach wide 3 technique defensive tackles on outside zone run blocks

Where Connor Lew can improve
Needs to get stronger, his age plays a factor given he has been playing SEC competition since he was 18 years old but an NFL weight training program will be crucial for his development
Needs to improve his strike timing and variance, defensive lineman were able to start dial in his timing as games progressed
Grade, position rank, expected draft round
Grade: B
Position rank: #2 Center
Expected draft round: Third

Summary
Connor Lew would likely go higher had he not sustained a torn ACL in October. He has high level traits and in the right system, he can be a top tier starter in the NFL. He progression and growth will be critical to watch through training camp and as he regains his strength.

Weaknesses and Concerns
Injury History: Tore ACL in October 2025, limiting junior season to seven games; recovery timeline may delay NFL readiness
Frame Development: Needs to continue filling out his frame and improve leg drive for certain run-blocking scenarios
Consistency: Average drive blocking and footwork in wide zone schemes; can overset in pass protection, creating vulnerabilities

Draft Projection
Connor Lew is projected as a late Day 2 to early Day 3 pick, depending on pre-draft testing, continued development, and health status. He is considered a high-floor interior lineman with starter potential, particularly in systems valuing versatility, intelligence, and physical consistency. While his ACL recovery may delay immediate impact, his leadership, technique, and football IQ make him a promising developmental prospect.

Summary
Connor Lew combines intelligence, versatility, and technical skill with a strong foundation in both run and pass blocking. His ACL injury is a key consideration for NFL teams, but his youth, leadership, and high ceiling make him an intriguing prospect for teams seeking a reliable interior offensive lineman with starter potential.

StickierBuns wrote:
Who here would be happy with Thieneman in round 1, RB Jadarian Price in round 2, and center Connor Lew and WRer Ted Hurst in round 3? That's what Matt Miller at ESPN just mocked out for the Vikings. IMO, I'd love the shit out of that. Doesn't cover every need but comes pretty damn close.

I can almost guarantee one of those top picks will be a defensive tackle..That is by far our weakest overall unit..

Jordyn Tyson is my favorite receiver in the draft, but his injury history is mind boggling. I don't typically care that much about injury histories, but he still has lingering hammy issues that forced him to miss three games last year. He was unable to run at the combine or his pro day...and still hasn't. We'll take a WR to compete with Felton, but I think it's more likely we do that later in the draft. 

Lately, I've been attracted to the idea of fixing our DL by going back-to-back DLs in rounds one and two. Faulk and Hunter, Woods and Banks, McDonald and Halton, or any combo thereof.

I think we’re planning to resign Addison. I don’t think we’ll bring in a first round receiver, but we’ll draft one to compete with Felton and maybe bring someone like Hopkins in if it’s looking pretty bleak going into training camp.

My money would be on DT and S for the first. I think we’re pretty desperate at both positions and impact players will be there for us to take. I don’t think Metellus/Jackson/Ward is an acceptable lineup as didn’t one of them get significant snaps taken away from him due midseason? I think there will be some discussion on what’s more important to bolster? Defense, they carried the team last year but lost a lot of talent or Offense who KOC needs to get back up to snuff, but in the end I think we’ll be focusing on defense, just because the offense is already so heavily invested in and Flores can do more with less, and we need to make sure he is past the minimum acceptable level of talent.

I think a pretty ideal draft, from the teams perspective, is going to be something DT/S, S/DT, and then RB/C/WRorTE with our next 3 picks

Don't assume the Vikings are going DT in early rounds of the draft.
Two signings from the CFL are intriguing...With Jalen Hutchings, I suspect they are looking for the next Jalen Redmond.

Jalen Hutchings (DT) started 17 games for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders during the 2025 season and led all CFL defensive tackles with 8.0 sacks. He also had 39 defensive tackles, including three for loss, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He was one of three Calgary Stampeders voted to the 2025 All-Canadian Football League Team. Hutchings previously spent time in the NFL with the Chicago Bears during the 2024 preseason. A native of Forney, Texas, Hutchings played college football at Texas Tech from 2018-23.

Jacob Roberts (LB), who appeared in 18 games for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders in 2025, recorded 97 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles, 4.0 sacks and forced one fumble. During the 2024 season with the team, he logged four 14 total tackles (four defensive and 10 special teams) in six games played. Roberts began his collegiate career at North Carolina A&T State University before transferring to Wake Forest for his senior season in 2023.

Just remember this...the Vikings signed Joe Kapp from the CFL.

I get the religion re; a WR early...I think another WR is likely, 1st or 2nd rd would surprise me.

DL + S are just too big a need imo to ignore early.

Rb is a bigger need then most here believe and I would not be surprised (if the right one is there) it's a rd2 or 3 pick.

C. Banks and Tyson injury history is as scary as Halloween 1 the movie.

S, DL, RB, ILB, C are all needs....I would love Rodriguez in rd2!!!

medaille wrote:
I think a pretty ideal draft, from the teams perspective, is going to be something DT/S, S/DT, and then RB/C/WRorTE with our next 3 picks

I've kinda stopped trying to guess what Whoever Is Currently Running The Vikings is going to do, but personally I like this a lot. Might add even another defender. In a perfect world where our targets are on the board, I'd be thrilled to see something like:

1st- DT/S/CB
2nd- DT/S/CB
3rd- BPA Offense
3rd- BPA Defense
5th-7th BPA

I know our defense was good last year and I know our DC is good too. But our defense is lacking ascending talent at many spots. Our defense also has a troubled recent history of regressing hard every other season. I'd love to see the team do everything they can to prevent that from happening in 2026. The offense is such a star-studded WTF right now that I would not invest a ton more resources into that unit until I was confident in what the end-product will actually look like.

I just think if OConnell is going down, he's not going down with his side of the ball struggling like they did last season which further leads me to believe (especially with him now in control) that the pick is likely going to be a playmaker on offense

supafreak84 wrote:
I just think if OConnell is going down, he's not going down with his side of the ball struggling like they did last season which further leads me to believe (especially with him now in control) that the pick is likely going to be a playmaker on offense

I think you are wrongly minimizing the influence of BFlo...

I think they'll add a RB and maybe a WR at some point..But that D needs some serious replenishment!

StickierBuns wrote:

Well the thing is if KOC is trying to coach now to 'save his job' as you've mentioned, that's directly aligned with winning football games. There's no more room for playmakers on offense other than RB...and that dude is still going to get limited reps behind AJ and Mason. At least for half the season at least or outside injuries. How many catches does WR3 get anyway? I mean outside a suspension or injury from either WR1 or WR2? Not many. An impact player is definitely most likely to come for the defense in earlier rounds. 

If you want to say KOC is messing up the future for QB1, ok at least you can argue it. But saying he's trying to improve the offense, especially QB, to 'save his job'.... that's what the other 31 head coaches are doing as well.

What do you mean there's no more room? The Vikings have run more multiple WR sets than almost any team in the league under OConnell, and you heard it in his season ending presser, he wants to get back to running what he wants to run and bringing the big play back to the passing game. You need someone to replace the production of Nailor and it absolves the front office of having to make an immediate decision on Addison and can let things play out. How do they feel about Tai Felton at this point? That's anybody guess, but I can't see them passing on a blue-chip receiver in the draft because they took a late 3rd round flyer on Tai Felton and his whopping 3 catches for 25 yards last season.

StickierBuns wrote:

No way Minnesota takes a WRer before the 3rd round. No way, not if they keep Addison. If you are saying that taking a guy in round 3 at WRer is 'blue chip', then yeah I guess that could happen. But to me that isn't blue-chip or anything close to it. And I expect Tai Felton to definitely be in play at WR3, at least pushing hard for decent reps. They aren't going to waste any draft capital in round 1 or 2 on it. Hell, they still might sign a vet for WR3 to flush things out. And BTW: Jalen Nailor had 3 catches for 29 yards his rookie year, so.....not sure that means much. And he also had some injuries...until he didnt. Which usually around here gets you the 'injury prone' label.

Funny how those nagging year on year injuries just kinda fade away on contract years...

StickierBuns wrote:

No way Minnesota takes a WRer before the 3rd round. No way. If you are saying that taking a guy in round 3 at WRer is 'blue chip', then yeah I guess that might happen. But to me that isn't blue-chip or anything close to it. And I expect Tai Felton to definitely be in play at WR3, at least pushing hard for decent reps. They aren't going to waste any draft capital in round 1 or 2 on it. Hell, they still might sign a vet for WR3 to flush things out. And BTW: Jalen Nailor had 3 catches for 29 yards his rookie year, so.....not sure that means much. And he also had some injuries...until he didnt.

Although I've learned to never say "no way" about anything when it comes to the draft, I agree that it's hard to see a WR in the first two rounds. They drafted Tai Felton for a reason and no one should be holding his three catches against him when he had Jefferson, Addison, Nailor and Thielen ahead of him. 

Still, as fans, we have no clue what to expect from him, and so I think bringing in someone who is legitimate competition is likely. As you say, that could be an aging veteran or that could be a draft pick. But unless the Vikings do not plan to extend Addison (and I think they do), then I think that player can be found in rounds 3-5. 

You could say, wouldn't it be sexy to add WR Chris Bell in the 2nd round. Sure would, but you also have to think of the players we're passing over. Likely starters at DT, S, RB or C, while the WR, no matter who it is, will be WR3 at best.

MaroonBells wrote:

Although I've learned to never say "no way" about anything when it comes to the draft, I agree that it's hard to see a WR in the first two rounds. They drafted Tai Felton for a reason and no one should be holding his three catches against him when he had Jefferson, Addison, Nailor and Thielen ahead of him. 

Still, as fans, we have no clue what to expect from him, and so I think bringing in someone who is legitimate competition is likely. As you say, that could be an aging veteran or that could be a draft pick. But unless the Vikings do not plan to extend Addison (and I think they do), then I think that player can be found in rounds 3-5. 

You could say, wouldn't it be sexy to add WR Chris Bell in the 2nd round. Sure would, but you also have to think of the players we're passing over. Likely starters at DT, S, RB or C, while the WR, no matter who it is, will be WR3 at best.

but,  look at what another young WR emerging does for the team,  it allows them to get rid of JA either via trade next year, or letting him walk in FA after 27 for the comp pick,  which clears up the "will he wont he" constant question on JA's off field shit,  and likely frees up about 25 in future annual cap space.   I agree with you on the premise of it being unlikely, but I dont think the notion is as crazy as I did a few months ago.

StickierBuns wrote:

No way Minnesota takes a WRer before the 3rd round. No way, not if they keep Addison. If you are saying that taking a guy in round 3 at WRer is 'blue chip', then yeah I guess that could happen. But to me that isn't blue-chip or anything close to it. And I expect Tai Felton to definitely be in play at WR3, at least pushing hard for decent reps. They aren't going to waste any draft capital in round 1 or 2 on it. Hell, they still might sign a vet for WR3 to flush things out. And BTW: Jalen Nailor had 3 catches for 29 yards his rookie year, so.....not sure that means much. And he also had some injuries...until he didnt. Which usually around here gets you the 'injury prone' label.

I think you'll be surprised

StickierBuns wrote:

Possibly....but odds are much better you'll be the one surprised.

I think the only way the Vikings even think about a WR high is if Germie Bernard falls to us in the 2nd. I can see them taking a long pause to contemplate drafting him. He would be perfect in this offense. Great fit for the two WRs we have and would complete the trio. Otherwise, I see Hurst at 97 at best for us. 

Bernard is absolutely the real deal. He won't be your X, but he can do just about everything.

At 18 we will be staring at a big pile of 2nd round talent. If you could trade down or trade out for 27, this is the year to do it.

A team needs to be whole before the draft, that’s how you can stay true to the process. So, where are the holes?

Glaring:
DT- I dont like anyone at 18. At all. Woods and McDonald have the most upside.

Next highest :
RB- fine until our first snap. Translation: this is our biggest need outside DT.

LB- age is a factor, a pick here in the top 97 is necessary for us.

Picks needed but not really that pressing:

S- metellus, Jackson ward. - should work but any team falls off when a borderline HOF hangs it up.

C- Brandel is fine. I actually like Hecht out of this group although Lew has the most potential.

Bullazin wrote:
At 18 we will be staring at a big pile of 2nd round talent.  If you could trade down or trade out for 27,  this is the year to do it.

A team needs to be whole before the draft, that’s how you can stay true to the process. So, where are the holes? 

Glaring:
DT- I dont like anyone at 18. At all. Woods and McDonald have the most upside.

Next highest :
RB- fine until our first snap.  Translation: this is our biggest need outside DT.

LB- age is a factor, a pick here in the top 97 is necessary for us.

Picks needed but not really that pressing:

S- metellus, Jackson ward. - should work but any team falls off when a borderline HOF hangs it up. 

C- Brandel is fine. I actually like Hecht out of this group although Lew has the most potential.

No way I'm trading out for a '27 pick. But I would consider trading down for another day-two pick. Sure, you'll piss off all the haters but that can be fun. I agree with you that the value at DT just isn't there at 18. So if that's our target we really should consider trading down.

This is an older re-post (2015). from a Chief site..Not sure if this has changed much or not?

The percentages by round of finding consistent starters at each position (best to least):

1st Round - OL (83%) LB (70%) TE (67%) DB (64%) QB (63%) WR (58%) RB (58%) DL (58%)

2nd Round - OL (70%) LB (55%) TE (50%) WR (49%) DB (46%) QB (27%) DL (26%) RB (25%)

3rd Round - OL (40%) TE (39%) LB (34%) DL (27%) WR (25%) DB (24%) QB (17%) RB (16%)

4th Round - DL (37%) TE (33%) OL (29%) LB (16%) WR(12%) DB (11%) RB (11%) QB (8%)

5th Round - TE (32%) DB (17%) WR (16%) OL (16%) DL (13%) RB (9%) LB (4%) QB (0%)

6th Round - TE (26%) OL (16%) DL (13%) WR (9%) DB (8%) RB (6%) LB (5%) QB (0%)

7th Round - DB (11%) OL (9%) QB (6%) WR (5%) DL (3%) LB (2%) RB (0%) TE (0%)

QB
The first round gives you a 63% chance of finding a starter.
The second round gives you a 27% chance, the third a 17% chance, then it really plummets from there with 8% in the fourth and 6% in the 7th.
In the last 10 years, 38 QBs have been drafted in the 5th and 6th rounds and not one has become a starter.

Running Back
There is a very high bust rate for RBs. The first round gives you a 58% chance of finding a starter followed by 25% in the second, 16% in the third, 11% in the fourth, 9% in the fifth, 6% in the sixth and 0% in the 7th.

Offensive Line
The first round has an 83% success rate. The second round is almost as good with 70%. Even the third and fourth aren't too shabby in comparison to success rates of other positions in the same rounds. (3rd - 40%, 4th - 29%).
The later round success rates hold up well (5th and 6th - 16%, 7th - 9%) but the numbers are driven down due to the higher numbers selected later.

Tight End
The success rate for tight ends is as follows: 1st - 67%, 2nd - 50%, 3rd - 39%, 4th - 33%, 5th - 32%, 6th - 26%, 7th - 0%. In other words, selecting a tight end in the 3rd through 6th doesn't make a lot of difference.
The highest number of tight ends has been selected in the 7th round (31) with the least amount of success (0%)

Wide Receiver
The first round success rate is 58% and the second round is almost as good at 49%.
The third round has the second highest number of receivers drafted with 52 but only a 25% success rate.
If you are ranking the rounds by numbers drafted, you would go 7th, 3rd, 4th, 6th, 2nd, 1st and 5th.
The fifth round actually has a higher success rate (16%) than the fourth round (12%). The sixth is at 9% and the seventh is 5%.

Defensive Line
Defensive line ties with running backs and wide receivers for the lowest first round success rate at 58%.

Linebacker
If you select a linebacker in the first round, there is a relatively low bust rate. As a matter of fact, Linebackers have the second highest first round success rate behind only the offensive line. 70% of first round linebackers were starters for at least half of their careers.
There isn't much drop off in the second round either, with a success rate of 55%.
The third round isn't that bad at 34% but after that the drop is steep with the 4th round plummeting to 16%, the 5th round to 4%, 5% in the 6th and only 2% success in the 7th.

Defensive Backs
You have the same success rate drafting a DB in the 7th round as you do drafting one in the 4th (11%)
After you get past the success rates of the first two rounds (64% in the first, 46% in the second), there isn't a huge difference in success (24% - 3rd, 11% - 4th, 17% - 5th, 8% - 6th, 11% - 7th)

OT is a premium position & there are teams that are still looking to upgrade there. If there's an OT with a first round grade still on the board at #18, & that's very likely to happen, the Vikings will likely get a very solid offer to trade down.

StickierBuns wrote:

Possibly....but odds are much better you'll be the one surprised.

You have to look at the board and what makes sense under the circumstances. We can all agree that defensive line is a huge need and Peter Woods is probably the only guy out of that top group who really fits what we know of Flores and what his preferences are. You just don't take safety with the 18th pick and I personally believe Smith is coming back. So where does that leave us at #18? You can absolutely make a strong case for taking a receiver;

- Regardless of them picking up the 5th year option on Addison, it doesn't take receiver out of play because of the multiple receiver sets we know OConnell wants to run. It gives you the option to not sign Addison to an extension either because of the money or you just don't trust him.

- Injury insurance

- Nobody has any idea what Tai Felton is at this point, but he didn't see the field last year and based on prior Kwesi drafts, you'd have to think the chances of him developing into a reliable contributer....probably arent good. If he's a bust, there is nobody in the pipeline behind him. This is the major sticking point in my theory is we just don't know how the organization feels about Felton as a prospect moving forward, but if they are ready to shitcan McCarthy after ten games, you'd have to believe they'd have zero problem going in another direction at receiver, which is a hugely important position in the OConnell offense. 

- I think any one of Tyson, Boston or Cooper are significantly better prospects and would upgrade our multi-receiver sets substantially. Remember some guy named Randy Moss and the impact he had in the "3 deep" squad. Turning a strength into a super power would absolutely have to intrigue OConnell going into a "must win" year for him.

I guess we'll find out in a few weeks