Prospect
EDGE 4
Malachi Lawrence
UCF

Height: 6'4"

Weight: 253 lbs

Class: Senior

Priority Position

Report by:

Dan Essien

Dan Essien

Measurables

Physical

Height

6'4"

Weight

253 lbs

Arm Length

33.625 in

Hand Size

9.25 in

Speed & Agility

40-Time

4.52 s

10-Yard-Split

1.59 s

Explosiveness

Vertical

40 in

Broad Jump

10'10"

Traits

defense

Quick Get-off

Trait Prototype: Brian Burns

defense

Relentless Motor

Trait Prototype: Micah Parsons

Summary

Strengths

Impressive first step that puts OL's under duress.

Very twitchy athlete with prototypical size.

Good motor. Made a decent number of second effort plays.

Decent pass rush arsenal with a few counters

Weaknesses

Has a hard time powering through contact at times.

Too often runs directly into blocks without a plan.

Doesn't have the best eye discipline or play recognition against the run.

Missed a decent chunk of makable plays by over-pursuing or playing out of control.

Final Report

Malachi Lawrence is a productive pass rusher out of UCF. In 2025, he had 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. He's totaled 20 sacks in his 4 seasons at UCF. Lawrence is solidly built for the position and displayed elite athleticism at the combine. On tape, that athleticism certainly shows up but only from time to time. Against the run, Lawrence has concerns. He doesn't have the best play recognition and is not very reliable on bootlegs and zone reads where he is the read man. Despite having fairly long arms, blockers get into his body more often than you would expect. As a pass rusher, Lawrence is bursting with potential. He's incredibly explosive and it shows when he can pin his ears back and attack. He has a solid outside rush, finding a lot of success with his swipe down, or a cross chop. He's also already starting to develop good inside counters. His inside spin isn't perfect but it looks like it can be perfected quickly at the next level. He needs to have more consistent hand fighting ability. He had a good pass rush win rate on the season as a whole but he needs to learn how to utilize his natural power and athleticism with more skill and efficiency. Lawrence projects as a pass rush specialist with upside. He probably works best as a 4-3 defensive end. He needs to really round out his game against the run to become an every down player in the NFL.

Recommended Position
EDGE
Round Grade
3rd Round