By mastering defensive schemes and pre-snap reads, the cerebral edge rusher transformed his high football IQ into a historic draft stock and a dominant senior campaign for UCF.
Coach Scott Frost and EDGE coach Mike Dawson laid out a plan to combine Malachi Lawrence’s intelligence with his on-field abilities, which led to a stellar senior season at UCF.
His smarts were one of the first attributes the coaches noticed during spring camp last year. Dawson highlighted that Lawrence wanted to become a coach once he finished playing, as shown by his willingness to learn about the responsibilities of other positions.
“He wanted to know what the interior d-linemen were doing,” Dawson said. “Where the linebackers were going, not only memorize his job but also have the understanding and figure out the positions around him, which I thought was awesome.”
Lawrence’s curiosity set the groundwork for the plan that fueled an amazing final season. Dawson wanted the 6-foot-4 EDGE to break down defenses with his intelligence, figure out what’s happening pre-snap.
“Instead of just lining up and seeing the guy across you and going 'Hey, I got to beat this guy somehow,' whether it's a pass rush or whether it's the run game, being able to see alignments of what we call the core,” Dawson said. “Where's the tight end? Where's the running back? Where are they in relationship to each other?"
Dawson’s challenge elevated Lawrence’s performance last season. He finished with 28 tackles (18 solo), seven sacks, two forced fumbles and two passes defended.
The Louisville, Kentucky native recorded career highs in tackles and forced fumbles. He had a similar performance in 2023 when he finished with one fewer tackle, 0.5 sacks more, two fewer forced fumbles, and two fewer pass defended.
Lawrence’s senior campaign put NFL scouts on notice, earning an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. He had one of the better performances during the event, including posting a 4.52-second 40-yard dash.
Many mock drafts had the UCF alum drafted on Day 2, but his stock rose tremendously. He made history as the highest-drafted defensive player in Knights history, selected 23rd by the Dallas Cowboys.
Lawrence was the lynchpin of UCF’s defense, and he has the opportunity to develop into that same role in the NFL. Frost gave some advice to coach Brian Schottenheimer on how to guide Lawrence so that Dallas can tap into Lawrence’s potential.
“I think he can do anything that you ask him to do," Frost said. "I would tell them to coach him hard and challenge him. He's going to be able to make any play, run game or pass game, that you need him to make if you teach him the right way and challenge him to do it."
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