The NFL Draft is quickly approachin, and UCF Knights football had two players make a strong impression at the NFL Scouting Combine: edge rushers Malachi Lawrence and Nyjalik Kelly.
Lawrence emerged as one of the biggest risers at the combine. Along with showcasing his athletic ability, he met with the media to discuss the teams he has spoken with, his outlook as a player and his experience throughout the process.
Lawrence, a native of Louisville, Kentucky who spent all five of his college seasons with the Knights, played in 39 games for UCF with 22 starts. He'll finish his time in Orlando with 72 total tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 20 sacks, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and five pass breakups. In 2025, Lawrence led the team in sacks with 7. Lawrence and Kelly tied for the team lead with Lewis Carter in forced fumbles with two this past season. Lawrence was an All-Big 12 First Team selection and was an honorable mention for Big 12 Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2025.
Lawrence measured 6-foot-4 and 253 pounds, posting impressive testing numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine. He recorded a 4.52-second 40-yard dash with a 1.58-second 10-yard split, along with a 40-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-10 broad jump.
Here's what Lawrence had to say during media availability at the NFL Combine:
(Photo: Cooper Neill / Contributor, Getty)
On his favorite movie or TV show (Malachi Lawrence):
"My favorite movie is really Polar Express. Yeah, Christmas movie, right?"
On a player he models his game after:
"I like watching Chandler Jones. The way he uses his length and also his bend is extremely well. So, yeah, I like to model my game after him."
On formal meetings so far:
"Cowboys, Bills, Eagles, Bucks, and, one more. Forgot. Yeah, those right now that I can think of."
On the Cowboys formal meeting and what it would mean to play for them:
"Yeah, the formal it was, it went good. They had me do an install with them and then we watched over my film a little bit. Then I had a quiz at the end and it would mean a lot to play for the Cowboys. Like watching Demarcus Lawrence play for them. We both got the same last name. So just watching him play for them it would mean a lot. Just a lot of legends that came through the Cowboys. Man, like it's a lot to them."
On when he started playing football:
"When I was five."
On if it was love at first sight:
"Yeah, it was love at first sight. Like I used to be a running back. Used to score a lot of touchdowns in Little League, stuff like that. So, yeah, it was love at first sight."
On who introduced him to football:
"I'd say like I was at a Boys and Girls Club playing basketball at first, like when I was like five. And one of my mom's friends had came up and was like, 'Oh, you should try him out in football.' And so that year I got into football and it just worked out."
On when the move to defensive end happened:
"It came like sophomore year of high school when I hit my growth spurt because I'm like 5'7" in my freshman year. So then I hit a big growth spurt and yeah, that's when it came."
On his height as a sophomore :
"I got up to as a sophomore? 6'2". Big difference."
On where he grew the most during his time at UCF :
"I feel like I grew the most like kind of in those, junior to this upcoming year, and, like, sophomore year as well. Just watching the leaders in front of me and how they led by example and also like were vocal leaders as well and just watching them, it kind of helped me grow into that leadership role as well with the younger guys, just helping them out not only just leading by example but being a vocal leader."
On his favorite uniform combination at UCF:
"Those light blue space jerseys. I love those."
On meeting with Tampa Bay :
"Yes. That meeting went good. Great I'd say. And Warren Sapp, first person."
On meeting with the Eagles:
"Yes. It was good. We went over film, just like talk a little bit. So yeah, it was a good meeting I'd say."
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Staff, Getty)
On who is next at UCF:
"I'd say, Horace Lockett and Isaiah Nixon."
On what stands out about Lockett:
"He's a bigger guy. DT, tackle, so he can move the pocket. He's also a good pass rusher and he'll surprise you with speed."
On Isaiah Nixon:
"His bend, he's incredibly fast. He's a very gifted player and I believe that he's going to bring it all together this year."
On the toughest guy he saw in the game this year:
"Toughest guy I saw in the game was probably one of Texas Tech tackles. Both of their tackles were good."
On the toughest guy at the Shrine Bowl:
**"**I'd say Wake Forest tackle. I think it was Fa'alili. I don't want to mess his name up, but him."
On thoughts on Sincere Edwards and playing with him:
"It was great. Just seeing how he carried himself on the field, like he's going to also be a leader on that on that team too and a starter. Just seeing him, how he carried himself like I said off the on the field and just his pass rush bag. He has a deep bag as well and he's a strong guy."
On Vic Fangio defense:
"Their edge rushers, like their speed, like Nolan Smith, he's a fast guy. And then Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter in the middle. They're incredible players."
On what it was about the Baylor game that made it disruptive for him:
"I'd say just going in there watching film, like getting my film study out in front, like just during the week just helped me work on my moves that week and just also going into the game, like I was I was ready. I was prepared. So like just being prepared to just pass rush against them to get those stops, those pressures, those sacks."
On meeting with the Detroit Lions:
"No."
(Photo: Lauren Leigh Bacho / Contributor, Getty)
On strengths he can add to a defense that people might not realize:
"I'd say my strengths are pass rushing, my pass rush ability, just getting to the quarterback, beating the tackle one-on-one, but just also finishing the sacks as well. And then I'd say just the thing that I can bring that people probably don't expect is just my run defense. Like when I do set the edge, I feel like I set a pretty good edge. I just need to work on my technique and just refine that."
On his "why" in tough fourth-quarter moments when tired or down:
"My mom, my family, things like that. Just how my mom raised me. She was always there for me throughout my little league, through college games, basically every game, and I just loved her support for that."
On what he took away from the Shrine Bowl experience:
"At the Shrine Bowl I tried to show that I could throw speed to power and also I had a little pop in me, some pop in me in the run game. And that experience, I just built a relationship like with the players there and also tried to leave a great first impression with the coaches just meeting with them."
On growth/improvements since the Shrine Bowl:
"Just run defense, just like hands above eyes, just refining my technique. Like I said, trying to master that not having a too narrow base, having some pop in me."
On his playing weight last season and desired NFL weight:
"My playing weight last season was 255 to 260 and I would want to stay in that range."
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 23–25.
Joe Londergan contributed to this article
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