UCF’s Malachi Lawrence Eyes First-Round Selection at 2026 NFL DraftUCF’s Malachi Lawrence Eyes First-Round Selection at 2026 NFL Draft
Conor Kvatek / UCF Athletics

UCF’s Malachi Lawrence Eyes First-Round Selection at 2026 NFL Draft

by Ken Landis
Opens in a new window UCF in the NFL Draft

ORLANDO – Daunte Culpepper, Blake Bortles, Breshad Perriman, Mike Hughes. Those are the names that Malachi Lawrence has a chance to join this week as the 2026 NFL Draft approaches. As the youngest Power 4 school in the nation, UCF football has seen a quartet of first round selections since 1999. After a remarkable career, Lawrence has a chance to become the program’s fifth-first round pick on the sport’s biggest stage.

Spending all five seasons rocking the Black and Gold, Lawrence etched his name on UCF’s career sacks list, finishing 10th all-time with 20.

His standout redshirt senior campaign, paired with an elite performance at the combine, Lawrence has flown up draft boards. It’s easy to see why, as the All-Big 12 First Team honoree tallied- a career-best 11 tackles for loss and forced two fumbles. He finished the season as one of four players in the FBS who recorded five or more sacks over the past three seasons.

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Lawrence posted one of the top performances for an edge rusher the NFL Scouting Combine over the last 40 years. His performance ranked 22nd out of over 2,000 defensive ends over that time, including a 40-inch vertical and a 4.52 40-yard dash mark.

On top of being named to the First Team, Lawrence was an honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year. He also helped the Knights earn Big 12 Defensive Line of the Week in the 45-13 win over West Virginia, an outing in which UCF’s defensive line accounted for seven of the team’s eight sacks. Lawrence tallied a pair of sacks in the victory over the Mountaineers and did the same the following game at Baylor.

The Knights have had 52 players selected in the NFL Draft since 1987. Ted Wilson and Elgin Davis were the first to hear their names called from UCF, making way for another 50 to follow suit. A complete list of Knights selected in the NFL Draft can be found here.

Last season’s selections from the Black and Gold were RJ Harvey and Mac McWilliams. Harvey had a standout rookie campaign with the Broncos and was nominated for AFC Rookie of the Week six times, winning the honor in Week 8. He saw action in all 17 regular season games and both playoff games. He tallied 540 rushing yards with seven touchdowns and added an additional five touchdowns and 356 receiving yards. McWilliams saw action in five games on defense, earning a pass breakup with the Eagles in his first taste of NFL action.

Lawrence, along with multiple Knights from the 2025 squad, are ready for their dream to turn reality this weekend.

SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets for the 2026 campaign are on sale and can be purchased here! Be sure to be a part of all the action as the Knights play their 20th season in Acrisure Bounce House.

ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.