The Next Breakout NFL Prospect From The UCF Knights

The UCF Knights football program has just four players in its history selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. On Thursday night, it may become five.

While it is not a unanimous consensus, some members of the media like ESPN's Matt Miller, The Athletic's Dane Brugler, and CBS Sports' Mike Renner, Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards and Pete Prisco all have UCF EDGE Malachi Lawrence being selected in the late stages of the first round of the draft on Thursday night. Although if one were to ask Lawrence himself about it, there is doubt whether or not he would know too much about it.

"I try to, like, put it to the side, like, because I know, like, don't let my head get too big," Lawrence said at UCF's Pro Day. "Like, once I get there, that's just the start. Like, I'm gonna be the, probably the worst player on the team soon as I get there, maybe."

Even if Lawrence was the worst player to join his future NFL team, getting drafted in the first round would put him among an exclusive group of former Knights that includes quarterbacks Daunte Culpepper and Blake Bortles.

Lawrence capped off his UCF career with a season that earned him First-team All-Big 12 honors, recording 28 tackles, 11 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, three passes defended and two forced fumbles. Those sacks also helped him finish his career with a grand total of 20, the 10th-most by a Knight in the program's history.

The EDGE followed his final college season up with a standout NFL Scouting Combine performance, finishing in the top two among EDGEs in the three drills he ran, which caught the eyes of scouts and increased his draft stock to make him a contender for a first-round pick, if not an early Day 2 pick.

"Malachi did a great job all the way from the time we got here last year, learning the defense and then going into the summertime, had a great fall camp, had to work himself, kind of, back into football shape, and then did everything he could to have a successful season last year, and then he's been working his tail off even since the season ended, and making sure, obviously, we all know how the Combine went," UCF EDGE coach Mike Dawson said on Tuesday. "You know, he's done a great job since then, keeping himself in football shape and working hard."

All that hard work is now set to pay off, regardless of whether he hears his name called on Thursday or Friday night. Lawrence indicated at UCF's Pro Day that he is going to be watching the draft in his hometown, Louisville, Kentucky. As for where he goes from there, that depends on what team NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says before calling his name.

"I'm excited to see where he ends up," Dawson said. "I'm sure he is too, and I think it's nice to know where he's going to settle and take his next step."

The 2026 NFL Draft opens in Pittsburgh at 8 p.m.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

Underrated UCF Knights Prospects Who Could Sneak Into the NFL Draft

List of Every UCF Knights First-Round Pick in NFL Draft History

Every UCF Knights Player Drafted Under Scott Frost

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