Processing / Game IQ
Pros:
•Flows to the ball very well on the backside
•Surprisingly recognizes screens pretty well
•Can find the ball carrier and quickly jump into the hole to potentially stop the play
•Gets his hands up and is effective at getting pass deflections
•Does a pretty good job keeping his outside shoulder open
Cons:
•Can get caught inside a little too much
•Late to see the ball at times, which results in him giving up the edge
•His explosiveness to the ball can be his own worst enemy when he flies to the ball and gives up containment to a misdirection or counter
•He can focus too much on trying to jump into gaps and instead give up the gap to the OL
•Gets confused by option plays like speed option or read option
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•4.52 40 is blazing for the position and places him in the 96th percentile for edges since 2000
•40” vertical is also elite for the position
•10.83 broad jump places him in the 98th percentile
•9.95 RAS Score
•Decent arm length at over 33 inches
•Slightly above average height
Cons:
•Underweight
Tackling / Wrap Up
Pros:
•Finishes plays very effectively
•Gets forced fumbles
Cons:
•Inconsistent
Pursuit / Bend
Pros:
•Good pursuit speed and motor
•Speed and quickness to make those backside TFL plays
•Relentless effort
•Great bend
Cons:
•None
Hand Usage
Pros:
•Quick hands at initial contact
•Good rip move to pair
•Disengages well
•Counters hands very well after his initial move
•Decently effective long-arm move
•Fires into the lineman's space to produce leverage
•Has a deep bag of tricks
•Super active hands
•Good swim move
Cons:
•Hands can lack violence at times to truly displace blockers
•Hand placement in the run game
Versatility
Pros:
•Can play in a 3-point stance and a 2-point stance
•Plays inside every now and then
Cons:
•None
Strength / Balance / Leverage
Pros:
•Can drive and sustain a bull rush
Cons:
•Can struggle to anchor down and hold his gap with raw strength and leverage
•Gets driven back and sealed more than you would like in the run game, both to the play strength and away
•Takes him a longer time to shed blocks in the run game
•Really struggles to handle double teams
•Washed out of his gaps too often
Explosiveness / Twitch / Agility
Pros:
•His first step and twitch is very solid
•Super twitchy overall at the LOS to throw off OL footwork and hand timing
•Extremely quick around the edge and closes the gap between himself and the QB very fast
•Super light on his feet
Cons:
•None
Games Watched:
Week 3 vs UNC, Week 8 vs BAY, Week 10 vs TTU, Week 12 vs BYU
Ideal Situation:
•Malachi Lawrence projects to be one of the top sack leaders if he can reach his full potential. Lawrence is extremely athletic and has the height and arm length to be a solid edge for the Cowboys. Lawrence is extremely athletic and one of the best all-around Edge athletes we have ever seen at the combine. Lawrence was a decent tackler and was decently consistent at bringing guys down. Lawrence has incredible closing speed and a ton of bend to turn the corner and make an explosive sack. Lawrence has a ton of hand combinations and counters to create space for himself. It is extremely hard for OL to consistently stop him in the pass game with the amount of finesse moves he can use. Lawrence was decently versatile, but nothing to be wowed by. He moved to the interior, but he will definitely not be a great option there unless he can consistently show he can hold a gap on the interior against combo blocks. Lawrence has shown he can drive and sustain a bull rush. Malachi Lawrence also has some of the best explosiveness, twitch, and agility I have seen at the position this season. Malachi Lawrence can be very undisciplined when it comes to holding his gap and tries to make the big play too often, rather than just focusing on the fundamentals of the position. Lawrence is definitely a little underweight for the position, and it shows in the run game. Lawrence was definitely a little inconsistent tackling this past season. His hand placement and timing in the run game are definitely lacking, which results in him getting washed out. Lawrence’s biggest weakness is his strength and ability to play with physical leverage. Lawrence really struggles to hold his gap and take on combo blocks. You can see him get visibly driven back or completely washed out of the play. If he continues to struggle in that area, he will be a guy who lights up the sack column but struggles to earn big contracts or be regarded as an all-around elite Edge. Lawrence, to most people’s surprise, was selected in the 1st Round Pick 23 by the Dallas Cowboys. I think he was worthy of the pick and could be a Micah Parsons replacement, but he will need to become a more balanced player. The Cowboys could have tried to trade back for him. I do think that Lawrence will earn the starting spot this season and will get plenty of reps early in his career. Lawrence is still relatively young at 22. Malachi Lawrence has not had any significant injuries aside from wear and tear. If Lawrence can become a more balanced rusher, he could be one of the biggest steals of the draft.
Rating:
•Processing / Game IQ – 6.9/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 9.0/10
•Tackling / Wrap Up – 8.4/10
•Pursuit / Bend – 8.6/10
•Hand Usage – 9.5/10
•Versatility – 7.0/10
•Strength / Balance / Leverage – 5.5/10
•Explosiveness / Twitch / Agility – 9.4/10
Total = 81.4/100 (B-) Late 2nd Round
DraftedR1 • P23Dallas Cowboys