Some draft analysts are projecting UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence to go in the late stages of the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night, a rise that would put him in rare company in program history.
's Matt Miller, The Athletic's Dane Brugler and CBS Sports' Mike Renner, Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards and Pete Prisco are among the analysts who have Lawrence in that range. If he goes in the first round, he would become one of only five UCF players ever taken that high.
Lawrence said at UCF's Pro Day that he tries to keep the draft chatter at arm's length so it does not go to his head. “I try to, like, put it to the side, like, because I know, like, don't let my head get too big,” he said. “Like, once I get there, that's just the start.”
He also kept the perspective grounded with a blunt reminder about what comes next. “Like, I'm gonna be the, probably the worst player on the team soon as I get there, maybe,” Lawrence said.
That humility comes after a final UCF season that made the buzz easier to understand. Lawrence earned First-team All-Big 12 honors after finishing with 28 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three passes defended and two forced fumbles. He ended his Knights career with 20 sacks, which ranks 10th-most in school history.
His stock got another boost at the NFL Scouting Combine, where he finished in the top two among EDGEs in the three drills he ran. That showing pushed him from what had been viewed as a possible early Day 2 pick into first-round consideration.
UCF has had four first-round picks in the NFL Draft before Thursday night, including Daunte Culpepper and Blake Bortles. A first-round call for Lawrence would stretch that list to five and give the Knights another marquee name at a time when the draft has already turned one strong combine and one steady season into a real possibility.
The question now is whether that late-first-round speculation becomes a real pick when the board starts to fall on Thursday night.