Malachi Lawrence Prospect Profile
Background
Malachi Lawrence grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and attended duPont Manual High School, where he played outside linebacker and tight end, was a state shot put medalist as a junior, and held a 3.6 GPA. He committed to UCF as a three-star recruit, in part to be closer to his father who lives in Orlando, over offers from Tennessee and Boston College, then redshirted his first year and appeared in just three games in 2022 while the coaching staff developed him behind veteran players.He started all 13 games in 2023 and recorded 7.5 sacks to earn Honorable Mention All-Big 12, built steadily from there, and earned First-Team All-Big 12 honors in 2025 with seven more sacks. In today's modern portal era, Lawrence is a rarity who spent all five of his college years at UCF. After his five years in Orlando, Lawrence declared for the 2026 NFL draft.
Physical Attributes
RAS:
I am sure that the diminutive size of the players in the draft class that I have watched so far makes me think Lawrence is bigger than his 6'4" 253 lb frame, but he looks like he has a good build to him. It is obvious on tape that he is an incredibly explosive, if more linear, athlete. I am not the biggest fan of his agility or bend. Combine that with raw power, and there is a lot to be excited about from a physical profile.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my EDGE radar charts, you can find more information here
Stop me if you have heard me say it before: Lawrence is a traits based prospect. His combination of speed and strength did not translate to a ton of production at the college level, but college production matters just about the least for EDGE prospects.
This profile could almost just be a physical profile, but there was some interesting stuff on tape too. I mentioned he does not have great bend, but he uses this weird move where he entirely relies on the OT to keep him upright as he gets low to go around them. Like supporting yourself on a wall. It is a little bit of a cheat code and an interesting way to mitigate his poor balance and fluidity.
As a run defender, Lawrence has the strength to compete, but he often chooses not to. He gives up on non-passing plays early and has nearly no pursuit to speak of. It seems like the only tackles he made in the run game are because the RB decided to run into him, more than Lawrence making a play.
He has three weapons in his pass-rushing arsenal that, with refinement, could become serious tools in the NFL. His bull rush, speed around the outside, and speed to power combo. He consistently walks tackles and guards back into the pocket using these three techniques, but his hand placement and loss of power through erratic feet keep him from the top marks available.
Grade and Outlook
Malachi Lawrence has a great frame and tools to work with. Getting into an NFL program with NFL coaching could massively benefit him. The downside case for him is that he never can add a bit more strength or bend to his game and becomes a rotational pass rusher. At the top end, he refines his already solid move set and fixes his run defense to be serviceable to become a high single-digit to low double-digit sack player through his peak.
Grade: 5.9 (2nd Rounder)