The Dallas Cowboys turned their second first-round swing into pure speed, grabbing UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence with the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 253-pound pass rusher ripped through college offenses for 20 career sacks, including 11 in his final season, and his testing numbers lit up the scouting combine. Dallas is banking that his blend of length and burst translates quickly into a rotational role in the pass-rush group, wrapping up a busy Day 1 spent hunting for more edge help.
Combine Explosiveness Turned Heads
Lawrence’s workout in Indianapolis is what shoved him into first-round conversations. He clocked an official 4.52-second 40-yard dash with a 1.57-second 10-yard split, then backed it up with a 40-inch vertical and a 10-foot-10 broad jump. NFL.com captured his 4.52 run on the combine stage, while CBS Sports listed his testing numbers among the standout performances from edge rushers.
Trade To No. 23 And Why Dallas Took Him
The Cowboys maneuvered around the board on draft night to secure a second first-round selection, then used No. 23 on Lawrence after a trade with Philadelphia, according to local reporting on the deal. The Fort Worth StarTelegram outlined the move and confirmed Lawrence as the pick.
Scouts and draft analysts have zeroed in on his suddenness and length as the traits that could make this pick pop. Dane Brugler slotted Lawrence inside his top 50 prospects and described him as "twitchy off the ball" who uses his long arms to "pry open corners or create interior rush lanes," as reported by The New York Times.
Injury History And Upside
There is a medical asterisk attached to all that upside. Lawrence "has undergone surgeries on both shoulders," a piece of information teams had to weigh before investing a first-round pick, per The New York Times. Even so, his combine showing and Shrine Bowl week sparked league-wide interest, with multiple teams lining up visits and workouts as his stock climbed. Pro Football Rumors tracked the surge in attention and the steady rise of his draft projection.
What Comes Next
Lawrence now heads into the Cowboys’ offseason program, where he will compete for a rotational role while the staff pieces together its pass-rush rotation. His testing numbers give him a clear lane to early snaps, but coaches will want to see whether that burst can be tied to consistent technique and whether he can hold up under heavier NFL workloads.
