Nick Saban Throws Shade at Cowboys' Malachi Lawrence Pick in NFL Draft

If you were to ask legendary Alabama head coach and current analyst Nick Saban, he would not have taken edge rusher Malachi Lawrence with the No. 23 pick like the Dallas Cowboys did during the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Of course, the Cowboys selected Lawrence in that spot after a rare trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that saw Dallas move back from No. 20 to No. 23 while also acquiring a pair of fourth-round picks, regaining two selections the Cowboys had given up when they traded two fifth-rounders in the move up for Caleb Downs.

We actually thought Jerry Jones cooked with those two trades and picks, but Saban was not a fan of the second selection.

During the ABC broadcast, Saban was caught on a hot mic saying he thought the Cowboys reached for the former UCF Knights star.

“Wow, this is a reach," Saban said.

Tell us how you really feel, Nick.

Once the broadcast was officially back, Saban was asked for his thoughts on the pick the Cowboys made. While he did not use the word "reach" specifically, Saban did basically say as much, but in a nice way.

“Actually, this guy was one of my sleepers for tomorrow,” Saban said. “But he is a good player… this guy is a good player. I thought he was someone that was getting overlooked in the draft, but obviously the Cowboys didn’t overlook him.”

"This is a reach" 😬 pic.twitter.com/60zloMY8nq
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 24, 2026

While Cowboys fans aren't going to like hearing that hot-mic slip from one of the greatest college coaches ever, it is refreshing to hear a guy in the football analysis business talking like a regular Joe in a bar, even if it took a hot-mic slip to hear it.

Was Malachi Lawrence a reach?

UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence runs the 40-yard dash during the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. — UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

As is the case with projections for the vast majority of prospects, it really depends on who you ask.

We saw varying projections for Lawrence. Mocks typically had him going either in Round 1 or early Round 2, but the majority of draft analysts put a Round 2 grade on him.

It was difficult to really hammer down where Lawrence would go due to the fact that he was one of those players who saw his stock rise during the pre-draft process, with the real jumping off point being his impressive showing at the NFL Scouting Combine.

At the end of the day, we simply won't know who is right and who is wrong until Lawrence takes the field and shows us what he can do.

Christian Parker wanted Malachi Lawrence

UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence (DL48) speaks during the NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. — UCF defensive lineman Malachi Lawrence. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Saban may not have wanted Lawrence in that spot, we do know that Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker did.

Cowboys vice president of player personnel, Will McClay, told the media after Round 1 that Parker was sending him pictures of both Downs and Lawrence during the week leading up to the draft to remind him of exactly who the defensive play-caller wanted.

So, it's pretty clear that the Cowboys most certainly took Parker's desires into consideration, which was expected to be the case going into the draft.

And that approach is a no-brainer because nobody knows better than Parker what's good for his defense. Now, it's about Parker showing his hunch was correct.

— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

Add us as a preferred source on Google