The Cincinnati Bengals looked at building for the future as they kicked off Day 3 of the NFL Draft, selecting Auburn center Connor Lew at No. 128 in the fourth round.

Lew was one of the better interior linemen in this year’s class, but a torn ACL suffered in October caused him to drop a little further than where he would have been originally selected.

Cincinnati felt comfortable with his injury status and upside as a potential successor to Ted Karras. And, shortly after being selected by the Bengals, Lew also gave a thumbs-up about his comeback from the ACL injury.

Connor Lew says no concerns in ACL recovery. "The knee is great. No setbacks. If anything I'm a little ahead of schedule. Thinking I will be 100 percent for camp."

Going into the Draft, some pundits had Lew as a fringe first round talent, but one likely to get picked on Night 2. Because of a late-season ACL injury, Lew was available to the Bengals in the fourth.

Lew is known as a very cerebral player and one who studied aviation in college. He is known as a great technician at the position with good size (6’3”, 310). There are questions on his play strength, but he was a very effective lineman for the Tigers.

Cincinnati parted ways with the enigmatic Matt Lee, a 2024 seventh-round selection, shortly before the Draft. Because of that, it was widely thought that Cincinnati would be seeking a developmental center in this year’s class.

As for the injury, it’s good news for the Bengals, and they undoubtedly made their check-ups on the progress. Let’s hope Lew’s assessment of the injury is accurate, and he will be ready to go for training camp.