The Cowboys opened Thursday night by moving up one spot to select safety Caleb Downs at No. 11. That was followed by a small trade down the board (20 to 23) which resulted in edge rusher Malachi Lawrence being taken.
Dallas entered the draft widely expected to seek out defensive upgrades. It thus came as no surprise when Downs in particular was targeted after he fell out of the top 10. Taking Lawrence added to a pass rush group seen as needing depth, although some questions were raised about the value of the selection. Based on how Lawrence was regarded by other teams, though, he is not being viewed as a reach.
Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay said after the first round concluded (via NFL Network’s Jane Slater) that executives from four other teams called to inform him Dallas took their Day 1 target off the board with the Lawrence selection. No specifics were mentioned, although the latter stages of the first round included several teams opting to move down the board or out of the Day 1 order altogether. It appears that was influenced in part by the fact Lawrence was no longer available.
Over the course of his four-year tenure at Central Florida, Lawrence emerged as one of the country’s top pass rushers. He posted 19.5 sacks and 27.5 tackles for loss from 2023-25, displaying an enticing combination of size and athleticism. Lawrence drew extensive interest leading up to the draft, making him a strong candidate to hear his name called at some point on Day 1. WFAA’s Ed Werder adds he “know[s] for certain” Lawrence would have still been a first-rounder if the Cowboys had taken another player at No. 23.
During the first season after trading away Micah Parsons, the Cowboys posted 35 sacks (good for 24th in the NFL). 2025 sack leader Jadeveon Clowney remains unsigned at this point, and a departure on his part would create the need for production from elsewhere on the depth chart. Lawrence could see a large workload as a rookie, something which likely would have also been the case had he landed with another suitor given the market he generated.