The Cincinnati Bengals did not have a selection in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, thanks to the trade of Dexter Lawrence. However, that does not mean this won’t be an impactful draft class for Cincinnati.
The expectation is that Cashius Howell will immediately be part of the defensive line rotation and can supply the juice off the edge. That said, he’s not the only draft pick that could have a big role with the Bengals this season.
The Bengals did not do a ton this offseason to improve their offense, and it’s not hard to understand why. When everyone is healthy, they have one of the best units in the league. And on the flip side, they had to use a majority of their resources to fix the worst defense in franchise history.
But they didn’t completely ignore offense, either. They did bring back Joe Flacco after he played well in Joe Burrow’s place. They kept all five starters on the offensive line. And they took a big swing early in Round 4 on a potential starter on the offensive line down the road.
Connor Lew could be the steal of the 2026 NFL Draft
In a recent article by Dane Brugler of The Athletic, he took a look back at his preseason top 50 rankings for the 2026 NFL Draft. It was a fascinating look at his thought process going into the 2025 season, and one of the most interesting rankings was where Brugler had Connor Lew ranked.
Brugler ranked Lew as the No. 21 overall prospect heading into the 2025 season, and he was his No. 1 center prospect. He also had Lew ranked as the No. 6 overall offensive line prospect, behind names like Spencer Fano, Kayden Proctor, and Francis Mauigoa, who were all selected in the top 12 of the NFL Draft. Here is a snippet of what Brugler had to say about the former SEC star in his article:
“With his athleticism, Lew drew plenty of early buzz from NFL teams last summer. However, he got off to a rocky start in 2025 and then suffered a torn ACL, which prevented him from getting back on track before the draft. Lew had a discount sticker on his draft tag, and the Bengals found excellent value in the fourth round.”
Lew tore his ACL during an October game against Missouri, which means he’ll only be 11 months removed from the injury when the Bengals start the season at home against the Buccaneers. However, Lew insists that he is ahead of schedule and is on track to be 100 percent healthy when training camp kicks off.
Whether or not that’s the case doesn’t really mean a ton for the Bengals. They have their starting center in Ted Karras, and the selection of Lew was about his long-term impact. However, that doesn’t mean he won’t have a role right away. If Lew does show up to camp at full strength, he could be one of the team’s primary backups at guard or center.
This was a shrewd move by the Bengals' front office for a variety of reasons. The fourth round of the NFL Draft is where teams should be willing to take chances on injured players, and there isn’t any real risk if it doesn’t work out. Lew was the No. 128 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and if he doesn’t pan out, it’s no big deal.
But considering how highly thought of Lew was heading into the 2025 season, this has a chance to really improve the Bengals' offseason. Lew doesn’t even need to be a high-end starter for this to work out. All he needs to do is be a competent starter, and you will be able to confidently say that the Bengals stole him on Day 3.
Keep an eye on Lew throughout the offseason and the preseason, should he get onto the field. Before his injury against Missouri, Lew was a sure-fire top-50 selection and a potential first-round pick. Now, he’ll be fighting for a starting spot, and the hope is that it’ll happen sooner rather than later.
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