ORLANDO — Malachi Lawrence became the first UCF player selected in the NFL draft‘s opening round since 2018.
The Dallas Cowboys selected Lawrence, a 6-foot-4, 253-pound edge rusher, with the 23rd pick in the 2026 NFL draft, held Thursday, April 23, in Pittsburgh. He joins exclusive company as only the fifth Knight taken in Round 1, a group that includes Daunte Culpepper, Blake Bortles, Breshad Perriman and, most recently, Mike Hughes.
Following UCF’s pro day on March 25, Lawrence said it was a “blessing” to be considered among the draft’s best available edge defenders. His pitch to the 17 teams he met with in the pre-draft process was, “I’m a great pass-rusher. I have a great motor. I’m a captain.”
Those teams, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston, were the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Indianapolis Colts, San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Las Vegas Raiders, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets.
Lawrence played all five of his college seasons for the Knights, emerging as a starter ahead of his redshirt junior season. The 6-foot-4, 253-pound Louisville native compiled 20 career sacks, good for 10th all-time in program history.
He cracked the All-Big 12 first team in 2025, joining RJ Harvey, Javon Baker and Tre’Mon Morris-Brash as the only Knights to do so in their three seasons in the conference. Lawrence recorded a career-high 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks — including back-to-back, multi-sack performances against West Virginia and Baylor — and an 89.9 pass-rush grade courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Lawrence’s draft stock soared after his performance at the NFL scouting combine in February. He posted the second-fastest, 40-yard dash time (4.52 seconds) among participating edge rushers with a 1.59-second 10-yard split and a 40-inch vertical jump.
Malachi Lawrence stats, accolades
- 2025 season: 12 games (12 starts), 28 tackles (17 solo), 11 TFLs, 7 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles
- Career: 39 games (22 starts), 72 tackles (47 solo), 28 TFLs, 20 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery
- Accolades: All-Big 12 first team (2025), All-Big 12 honorable mention (2023), Ranked 10th all-time in UCF history in sacks
Malachi Lawrence NFL combine height, weight, 40 time
- Height: 6-foot-4
- Weight: 253 pounds
- Arm length: 33⅝”
- Hand size: 9¼”
- Vertical jump: 40″
- Broad jump: 10’1″
- 40-yard dash: 4.52 seconds
- 10-yard split: 1.58 seconds
What NFL draft experts, UCF coaches said about Malachi Lawrence
- “Personally, I’m proud of how much development and progress some of those guys (Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly) made in our one year with them. I didn’t have a lot of confidence when I first got here — Malachi wasn’t practicing — that he was going to be projected to go where he’s going to go in the draft. He did an unbelievable job of working consistently and continuing to get better in a year with Mike Dawson and Alex Grinch. I’m really happy for him.” — Scott Frost, UCF head coach
- “The edges in the NFL, whether you’re three-down or four-down, there’s going to be a lot of similarity, a lot of carry-over. We didn’t drop him (into coverage) a ton last year, but enough where I think he knows how to do that. If he ends up in a 3-4 system, he’ll have an understanding of coverages and how they work. … I see a guy that has a large toolbox. He’s not a one-trick pony. You don’t see just one pass-rush move that happens to win at the college level. He’s got a bunch of stuff that he can do, and you can see it on tape as the season progressed. I think guys are going to be excited to have him in the room. Great guy. Personality-wise, he wants to learn and he wants to know about football. I believe he wants to be a coach when he’s done playing. He’s a sponge as far as getting the information and learning it.” — Mike Dawson, UCF edge rushers coach
- “He’s a wonderful person with a great personality, always smiling. He was just so coachable. You could tell early that he had a really, really good skill set. He was determined to be the best version of himself. … He was a little undersized early, but you could see the possibility of development. The physicality of the game and just understanding, it just clicked for him. There’s nothing like experience, too. Even though he didn’t start (until 2024), he had played quite a bit before. You could tell he had a chance to be a real player.” — Gus Malzahn, former UCF head coach
- “The biggest thing was he worked his tail off in the weight room and got stronger. He was always this wiry, tall athlete. Early on in his career, he was hindered in the weight room with multiple shoulder surgeries. In 2024, he was able to have a true offseason. Once he got in the weight room and you added that get-off, his length and him being a twitchy guy, he’s what everybody in the country looks for in a pass-rusher. … With his skill set and what he’s able to do, you just don’t find that laying around or on the street.” — Addison Williams, Nebraska secondary coach and former UCF defensive coordinator
- “Lawrence has ideal size, length and twitch for his position. He’s at his best rushing from a loose alignment off the edge. He explodes off the line and can rip through the outside arm of the offensive tackle before bursting toward the quarterback. He has shock in his hands to uproot and unnerve blockers. If his initial charge is stopped, he keeps reworking his hands to free himself. He can flatten at the top of his rush and finish. Lawrence isn’t as effective when he’s aligned underneath the inside shoulder of the offensive tackle. Against the run, he’s at his best on the back side, where he can fly down the line to make tackles. He can set the edge on the front side, but he’s inconsistent in shedding blocks. Overall, Lawrence is a dynamic talent with the upside to emerge as one of the better pass rushers in the draft class.” — Daniel Jeremiah, NFL.com
- “Lawrence is a linear mover and lacks ideal bend, but he offers skill as a pass rusher, stack-shed toughness versus the run and the demeanor that will help him carve out a starting role at the next level. Despite being an older player, he still has upside.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic
- “Don’t be surprised if Lawrence gets his name called much earlier than expected. He’s a bendy rusher who has a quick acceleration out of the starting blocks, and that speed carries through his rush plans.” — Jordan Reid, ESPN
- “An NFL-caliber edge rusher with prototypical size and length, Lawrence moves with the suddenness of a smaller player. Explosive get-off and a deep bag of moves/counters fuel his pocket disruption. He can win inside or outside, but his speed-to-power conversion is average. His hands are subtle but skilled to quickly unlock openings and his secondary rush. He closes with burst and has the motor to hound scrambling quarterbacks. The next level will bring better tackles and more quick-sets, which will test how well his production translates. He makes splash plays behind the line but must provide better consistency and discipline in run support. Lawrence is an ascending prospect with rush polish and pro traits that should be enticing for pressure-hungry defenses.” — Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
UCF Knights all-time NFL draft picks
- Malachi Lawrence, DE, Dallas Cowboys, Round 1, No. 23 overall, 2026
- RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos, Round 2, No. 60 overall, 2025
- Mac McWilliams, CB, Philadelphia Eagles, Round 5, No. 145 overall, 2025
- Javon Baker, WR, New England Patriots, Round 4, No. 110 overall, 2024
- Tylan Grable, OT, Buffalo Bills, Round 6, No. 204 overall, 2024
- Kalia Davis, DT, San Francisco 49ers, Round 6, No. 220 overall, 2022
- Richie Grant, S, Atlanta Falcons, Round 2, No. 40 overall, 2021
- Aaron Robinson, CB, New York Giants, Round 3, No. 71 overall, 2021
- Jacob Harris, WR, Los Angeles Rams, Round 4, No. 141 overall, 2021
- Tay Gowan, CB, Arizona Cardinals, Round 6, No. 223 overall, 2021
- Tre Nixon, WR, New England Patriots, Round 7, No. 242 overall, 2021
- Gabe Davis, WR, Buffalo Bills, Round 4, No. 120 overall, 2020
- Trysten Hill, DT, Dallas Cowboys, Round 2, No. 58 overall, 2019
- Mike Hughes, CB, Minnesota Vikings, Round 1, No. 30 overall, 2018
- Tre’Quan Smith, WR, New Orleans Saints, Round 3, No. 91 overall, 2018
- Jordan Akins, TE, Houston Texans, Round 3, No. 98 overall, 2018
- Shaquem Griffin, OLB, Seattle Seahawks, Round 5, No. 141 overall, 2018
- Shaquill Griffin, CB, Seattle Seahawks, Round 3, No. 90 overall, 2017
- Breshad Perriman, WR, Baltimore Ravens, Round 1, No. 26 overall, 2015
- Clayton Geathers, S, Indianapolis Colts, Round 4, No. 109 overall, 2015
- Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars, Round 1, No. 3 overall, 2014
- Storm Johnson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars, Round 7, No. 222 overall, 2014
- Latavius Murray, RB, Oakland Raiders, Round 6, No. 181 overall, 2013
- Kemal Ishmael, S, Atlanta Falcons, Round 7, No. 243 overall, 2013
- Josh Robinson, CB, Minnesota Vikings, Round 3, No. 66 overall, 2012
- Jah Reid, OT, Baltimore Ravens, Round 3, No. 85 overall, 2011
- Bruce Miller, FB, San Francisco 49ers, Round 7, No. 211 overall, 2011
- Torell Troup, DT, Buffalo Bills, Round 2, No. 41 overall, 2010
- Joe Burnett, CB, Pittsburgh Steelers, Round 5, No. 168 overall, 2009
- Kevin Smith, RB, Detroit Lions, Round 3, No. 64 overall, 2008
- Josh Sitton, G, Green Bay Packers, Round 4, No. 135 overall, 2008
- Mike Merritt, TE, Kansas City Chiefs, Round 7, No. 239 overall, 2008
- Mike Sims-Walker, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars, Round 3, No. 79 overall, 2007
- Brandon Marshall, WR, Denver Broncos, Round 4, No. 119 overall, 2006
- Michael Gaines, TE, Carolina Panthers, Round 7, No. 232 overall, 2004
- Asante Samuel, CB, New England Patriots, Round 4, No. 120 overall, 2003
- Doug Gabriel, WR, Oakland Raiders, Round 5, No. 167 overall, 2003
- Mike Mabry, C, Baltimore Ravens, Round 7, No. 250 overall, 2003
- Elton Patterson, DE, Cincinnati Bengals, Round 7, No. 259 overall, 2003
- Travis Fisher, CB, St. Louis Rams, Round 2, No. 64 overall, 2002
- Charles Lee, WR, Green Bay Packers, Round 7, No. 242 overall, 2000
- Daunte Culpepper, QB, Minnesota Vikings, Round 1, No. 11 overall, 1999
- Paul Miranda, CB, Indianapolis Colts, Round 4, No. 96 overall, 1999
- Marquette Smith, RB, Carolina Panthers, Round 5, No. 142 overall, 1996
- Greg Jefferson, DE, Philadelphia Eagles, Round 3, No. 72 overall, 1995
- Rick Hamilton, LB, Washington, Round 3, No. 71 overall, 1993
- Bob Spitulski, LB, Seattle Seahawks, Round 3, No. 66 overall, 1992
- Raymond Irvin, DB, Cleveland Browns, Round 9, No. 225 overall, 1991
- Shawn Jefferson, WR, Houston Oilers, Round 9, No. 240 overall, 1991
- Bernard Ford, WR, Buffalo Bills, Round 3, No. 65 overall, 1988
- Corris Ervin, DB, Denver Broncos, Round 5, No. 136 overall, 1988
- Ted Wilson, WR, Washington, Round 10, No. 274 overall, 1987
- Elgin Davis, RB, New England Patriots, Round 12, No. 330 overall, 1987
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Malachi Lawrence picked by Dallas Cowboys in NFL draft first round