Summary

Malachi Lawrence (22 years old) is a long, dynamo defensive end who has played his entire college career at UCF with no transfers. In 2025, Lawrence started throughout the season and recorded 28 total tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, and 7.0 sacks, serving as a consistent edge presence with of the highest pass-rush win rates (19.2%) of the entire class. His 2025 production earned him All-Big 12 consideration, building on steady development earlier in his career as he grew into a full-time starting role. Lawrence has maintained solid academic standing after enrolling with a 3.85 high school GPA where he was also state shot put medalist. Lawrence is widely viewed as a high-effort, team-first defender whose motor and physicality consistently draw praise from coaches. Lawrence is known for having a full tool belt of pass-rush moves, including a rare ghost move and a signature two-handed swipe. From an injury standpoint, Lawrence has been largely durable throughout his career with no major injuries causing extended absences and appeared in 11 or more games in each of his final three seasons.

Strengths

Length: Uses long arms to create separation and keep tackles from getting into his chest when his timing is right. Shows willingness to swipe and disengage rather than staying locked up. Has room to develop into a more complete edge if upper body strength catches up (explosive lower body/trunk shows up from his track & field experience in shot put).
Quick Step: When he times the snap, he can cross the tackle’s face and get into the backfield quickly. Most effective when attacking angles and can find space and create disruption on games.
Suffocator: Covers ground efficiently once he’s free and can chase down plays from the backside. Can align wide, reduce inside, or be used on movement-based fronts.
Motor: Will continue working even if the first move doesn’t win and his effort shows up late in plays. Love for physicality and contact is quickly evident in his style of play and pursuit.

Weaknesses

Sequencing: Wins early positioning at times and with his ghost/two-handed swipe moves but doesn’t consistently convert that into a clean pass-rush win and reps flatten out with lack of counters. If his first move doesn’t win, he doesn’t consistently transition into a secondary plan.
Worn to Run: Weak anchor at the point of attack and liability in the run game. When tackles or tight ends get into him square, he can be moved off his spot rather than holding the edge.
Levels to This: Will come off low but stand up on contact, losing leverage and power advantage with tilted pad level. Swipes are active but not always coordinated, allowing blockers to latch.
Three Point Conversion: Doesn’t yet have the functional strength to consistently convert speed to power or collapse the pocket and bend is adequate but not elite.

Outlook

Lawrence projects as a long, explosive edge defender with a quick first step, active hands, and the closing speed to finish plays in the backfield, giving him intriguing upside as a developmental pass rusher. He fits best in attacking 4-3 or hybrid fronts that allow him to align wide, rush upfield, and use his length and burst to win off the edge rather than consistently taking on double teams or playing in two-gap responsibilities. Lawrence is skyrocketing up draft boards and looks to hear his name called in round 2 due to his wacky high ceiling to augment the rush room for any team in need for young, explosive edge rushers who can develop into consistent pressure threats.

Player Comparison: Boye Mafe

Team Fits: NE, SEA, MIA, LV, JAX

Report written by Filip Prus