While much of the attention that landed on the Dallas Cowboys and their haul in this year’s NFL draft went to No. 9 overall pick Caleb Downs, the team took a swing on another defender in the third round, picking up edge rusher Malachi Lawrence from Central Florida. He does not have nearly the presence or swagger that Downs features, so it’s not too much of a surprise that he has been overshadowed. But make no mistake, the Cowboys need him to be productive, and quick.
While there has been talk about Dallas hitting the free-agent market for a summer pickup to bolster the pass-rushing crew, the fact is, the Cowboys likely have enough on the edge–if Lawrence can be an immediate contributor, that is. There are questions as to whether he has the polish to do that as a rookie.
But if the Cowboys want to get what they can from Lawrence quickly, they’d be wise to have a chat with his coach at UCF–former Nebraska star quarterback Scott Frost, who said that Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Christian Parker would be wise to challenge Lawrence right out of the gate.
Scott Frost: Malachi Lawrence ‘Can Do Anything You Ask Him to Do’
Frost said that retaining Lawrence after he returned to take over coaching at UCF in late 2024 was critical for the program–Lawrence had the opportunity to hit the transfer portal and zip off to a higher-profile school. But he Lawrence stayed and, Frost recalled in a conversation with the Cowboys website, the coach soon figured out that Lawrence prefers a challenge.
“I think he can do anything that you ask him 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.”
Cowboys Badly Need Pass-Rush Help
Any player coming on board the Cowboys defense here in 2026 is facing a challenge. The 2025 defense, which saw Micah Parsons traded just before Week 1 and never quite got its footing after that, allowed 511 points. That was the most in the NFL, and the most in franchise history. The team’s top sack-getter was Jadeveon Clowney, a late signing who did not take the field until Week 4.
Lawrence had 7.0 sacks last year and had 19.5 in his last three season with the Knights. He had 11.0 tackles for a loss. His scouting report on NFl.com described him: “Lawrence is an ascending prospect with rush polish and pro traits that should be enticing for pressure-hungry defenses.”
Cowboys’ Malachi Lawrence on the Rise
Frost agreed with the assessment that Lawrence is “ascending,” and notes that the Cowboys are getting a hard worker who will keep improving.
“There was quite a few effort plays where he’d chase something down from the backside or play hard all the way through a snap. And then you start thinking, ‘We really got something here,’” Frost said. “And those plays kept happening throughout the season. Even about midseason, he was having a good year, and he just kept getting better all the way through to where there really wasn’t anybody that could stop him. I think the progress that he made is going to continue now that he’s doing everything the right way.”
That goes both on and off the field.
Said Frost: “I think they got not just a good player, but a really good young man.”
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