UCF's Malachi Lawrence blazes through the combine, posting historic athleticism and skyrocketing his NFL Draft stock with elite speed and explosiveness.
Defensive linemen took the field in the 2026 NFL Draft Combine yesterday afternoon, with two Knights edge rushers representing the Black and Gold: Nyjalik Kelly and Malachi Lawrence.
Lawrence posted historic numbers, finishing second among all defensive lineman in 40-yard dash (4.52), broad jump (10'10"), vertical jump (40"), and 10-yard split (1.59). His blazing 40-time came in just behind projected top-five pick David Bailey, who ran a 4.5 flat.
Lawrence's performance ranked him within the top 1% of Relative Athletic Scores (RAS) in the past 40 years, scoring an unofficial 9.9 out of a possible 10. Of the 2,046 defensive ends who have participated in the combine since 1987, Lawrence ranked No. 22, posting an "elite" grade in both "composite explosion grade" and "composite speed grade."
The four-year Knight joins an esteemed group, joining elite edges like former NFL pro-bowler Montez Sweat, NFL all-time single season sack leader Myles Garrett and 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt, as four of six edge prospects in the last ten years to post an RAS score of over 9.89 and notch a sack rate greater than 4% in at least one college season.
NFL Draft Files on X wrote that Lawrence experienced a huge rise in draft stock following his explosive performance, naming him one of the biggest winners of the day.
According to the NFL Draft Files, Lawrence was "seen as a fringe top-100 guy before today but the league might have to now agree with me that he's a top 50 player after today's [combine] performance. Nearly a flawless Combine, top-to-bottom."
Lawrence is coming off of a First-Team All Big 12 senior season, where he posted seven sacks and two forced fumbles. Lawrence had the fifth-highest pressure rate (pressures per pass-rush snap) among all FBS edge defenders, according to PFSN, pressuring opposing quarterbacks on 22.7% of his pass-rushes. This was the same percentage as potential No. 1 pick and First-Team All American Rueben Bain Jr.
Lawrence has jumped onto NFL team's radar following this performance and now projects as a second-round pick, according to NFL Draft Files. Lawrence's speed and ability to pressure the quarterback should continue to boost his draft stock as the NFL Draft is less than two months away.
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