FRISCO, Texas 鈥� Malachi Lawrence won鈥檛 be a stranger in a foreign land as he reports to rookie minicamp for the 草莓视频下载入口, at least not entirely. From the moment he got the call as the 23rd-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, he realized he'd be reunited with a familiar face on the coaching staff.
Demeitre Brim, the newly-hired Cowboys assistant defensive line coach, was poached from the collegiate ranks by defensive coordinator Christian Parker 鈥� a former UCF defensive lineman turned position coach for the Golden Knights in 2025.
And that's where he and Lawrence met and formed a bond that ultimately helped the Louisville native end up right where Brim is currently: in Dallas and tasked with helping to turn around the Cowboys' defense in 2026 and beyond.
"For me, it's a little bit more personal for me because I played for UCF as well," Brim told . "So, being able to get into the building and to tell him what the program means to us, and a lot of other former alumni that were coaching last year 鈥� we were able to build a relationship off of that. And me being a former player, and kind of a younger player, in that sense.
"鈥� It was good to get around him and to tell him what we expect[ed] of him [at UCF]. I spent a lot of time with him. 鈥� He means a lot to me as well."
Lawrence played all four seasons at UCF, a nugget that helped to influence the Cowboys' decision to draft him in a world full of NIL portal transfers, creating history in the process by making him the first-ever UCF player to be selected in the first round by Dallas; and only the fifth in school history taken in that round.
It didn't take Brim long to realize what the young pass rusher was capable of.
"His ability to get off the ball, No. 1 鈥� his first step is very impressive," said Brim of Lawrence. "His ability to change directions as well as a rusher. He has a plan. If his first move doesn't work, he's got a second move.
"You don't see a lot of those things out of pass rushers, especially at the collegiate level. 鈥� With him, he's a motor. He just keeps going. Credit to him, that is God-given ability."
While true, it's also true that Lawrence also has the other part of the equation figured out, namely, maturity and an unbridled love for the game that had everyone the Cowboys asked about him in the pre-draft process beaming at the opportunity to pour out compliments for Lawrence.
"You won't have any problems," Brim added. "He loves football and loves being in the building."
Needless to say, a lot of expectations come attached to being an NFL first-round pick, and especially one wearing a Cowboys' uniform. Brim and the entire team 鈥� from the very top of the front office hierarchy through the scouting department and down to the coaching staff 鈥� are already heavy believers in what Lawrence will be for them going forward.
The only thing left to do now is work, work and more work, to prove himself and all of his believers right; and it doesn't sound as if Lawrence has ever shied away from taking a blue collar approach to succeeding.
"It was a team win for us as an organization," said Brim. "And then having the opportunity to be there with Malachi at UCF last year, that was a good thing for us and for myself. Great kid, and works hard.
"I was only in the building for a year with Malachi but, even in that year, you could tell how special he was in the way he approached practice and the way he attacked game days on Saturdays. I'm really excited to have him part of our organization. He will really help us out."
The rubber begins meeting the road when Lawrence joins fellow first-round pick Caleb Downs and the others in his 2026 draft class when they report for rookie minicamp the first weekend in May.
