FRISCO, Texas 鈥� After taking Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick, the Cowboys doubled down on defense in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft by selecting UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.
Dallas' front office has always said that you can never have enough pass rushers. Lawrence joins a room with players like Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeirauku looking to add more juice to the unit.
Lawrence waited his turn at UCF, redshirting his freshman season in 2021 and not playing significantly until 2023. In his senior season, Lawrence earned first-team All-Big 12 honors and finished with seven sacks on the year.
Let's take a look at some of Lawrence's tape and see what the Cowboys are getting:
The ball, the ball, the ball
There's a lot of things that are intriguing about Malachi Lawrence's game that are very intriguing. The measurables certainly stand out, as Lawrence measures in at 6'4", 253 pounds with 33 5/8" arms, and an 81 5/8 inch wingspan.
The biggest separator, however, is his get off. At the NFL Combine, Lawrence posted a 1.59 second 10-yard split, the third-fastest time at his position in the 2026 class behind Ohio State's Arvell Reese and Texas A&M's Cashius Howell, who tied with a 1.58 second split. That quickness is on full display in this clip, as Lawrence blows right past the left tackle and into the backfield.
What Brian Schottenheimer and Christian Parker will love about Lawrence is his effort to always swat at the ball during his rushes in an attempt to pop the ball free. Lawrence has forced three fumbles in the last two seasons for UCF, largely in part because of the seemingly conscious effort to attack the football in his rushes. Even when the swats don't land on the football, Lawrence continues to make an effort to finish the play. He ends up on the ground after missing the sack, but still finds a way to grab the quarterback's ankle and bring him down.
Lawrence's motor runs hot
If it wasn't evident on the first play, another big positive for Lawrence's game is his motor and relentless pursuit of the quarterback, even if he initially gets beat. Going up against mobile Kansas State QB Avery Johnson in this clip, Lawrence comes into frame as Johnson starts to move out of the pocket and extend the play.
Lawrence is able to stay square with Johnson as he moves to his right, and doesn't bit on any of Johnson's first two attempts to break free from Lawrence in close range. Lawrence keeps his core/chest facing Johnson the entire time, staying square with the quarterback in an attempt to stay in front of him.
Finally on Johnson's third small move, he's able to break free on the right side and get some separation from Lawrence to the point where Lawrence is out of the frame. As Johnson drifts closer to the sideline, he slows down as he tries to look downfield to make a play. A quick glance behind him sees Lawrence closing in at full speed, and by that point it's too late. Lawrence swats at Johnson's arm and takes away his opportunity to throw downfield, and the ball lands out of bounds on what was a fourth down, giving the UCF offense the ball.
Lawrence against the run
One of the knocks on Lawrence's game in the pre-draft process was some struggles at times against the run. There are some times where he misses opportunities to set the edge, but there are also positive plays against the run sprinkled in to his tape like this one against Cincinnati.
From the jump on this play, it looks like Cincinnati's offensive line had a big miscommunication. From the left tackle to the right guard, the line is moving left. The right tackle and tight end square up the opposite direction, in what could've sprung into a cut-back lane for the back. The problem with that was Lawrence was left completely unblocked, and is already in the backfield before the running back takes his first step with the ball in his hands.
Earlier, we talked about Lawrence's quick get off. He's got quick closing speed as well, as shown by getting to the running back in just two steps after finding his way untouched into the backfield. From there, it's a layup tackle for Lawrence and a tackle for loss for UCF's defense. Is it the premier kind of play you want to see against the run? Maybe not, but if the play is there for Lawrence to make against the run, he usually makes it.
