FRISCO, Texas — Malachi Lawrence is officially a part of the Dallas Cowboys’ rebuilt defense and, needless to say, his smile couldn't possibly be any bigger. Only hours after getting the nod with the 23rd-overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, the former UCF pass rusher was on a charter flight to North Texas to join his new team.
Lawrence was instantly taken aback the moment he stepped off of the charter bus that brought him from the airport, standing on the marble floor just inside the main entrance while looking up at the hanging chandelier lights and over toward the five Super Bowl trophies that are on constant display.
"This is crazy," he said.
The 22-year-old becomes only the fifth player from UCF ever drafted in the first round and the only ever selected by the Cowboys in the first round.
"It's like a standard to be set now," he said. "You can go to UCF and be a first-round pick on defense. I just want to represent my family in the right way and to put a good name on UCF.
For Lawrence, who was once a little bright-eyed boy in Louisville, Kentucky with dreams of one day being an NFL player, it's all still so surreal. His path to this point included playing both linebacker and tight end at duPont High School before heading to the University of Central Florida, where he wound up being one of the best pass rushers in the country.
"When I first got to college, I didn't really have any pass rush skills that I knew about yet," Lawrence said."
That's obviously all changed, and in part with the assistance of Cowboys' assistant defensive line coach Demeitre Brim, previously a defensive analyst at UCF who, throughout the pre-draft process, helped Dallas understand exactly how high the ceiling could be for Lawrence.
The front office made it clear in their post-Day 1 press conference that he was their pick at 20th-overall but hoped they could pick up extra picks — which they did by way of two fourth-rounders from the Eagles to move down to No. 23 — and still have a chance to grab Lawrence; and the plan worked out masterfully.
"The film, when you watch it, it's very apparent," said head coach Brian Schottenheimer. "His ability to bend, to turn his toe and to accelerate off of different angles [is real]. What we love about him is he doesn't just get the quarterback. He gets the ball. And that's a big emphasis for us this year — getting back right in the giveaway and takeaway market."
The former First-team All Big 12 edge rusher not only finished 10th on UCF's all-time sack list with 20 through 37 games, but he also forced three fumbles over the last two seasons, to Schottenheimer's point regarding him being a football hunter.
Now joining 11th-overall pick Caleb Downs as blue chip players being looked upon to help quickly turn around the defense for incoming defensive player Christian Parker, Lawrence fully understands the assignment.
"He does a lot of great things," said Lawrence. "And I'm excited to get on the field and play with him."
