While several Cowboys rookies have drawn early attention, edge rusher Malachi Lawrence says he's comfortable staying out of the spotlight as he prepares for his first NFL season. The 23rd overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Lawrence, recently discussed his mindset with Tommy Yarrish of the Dallas Cowboys.

Lawrence spoke about focusing on improvement. For him, the goal is to keep getting better and let his performances speak for themselves over time. 

"I'm kind of used to being in the shadows," Lawrence said. "It doesn't faze me. Once the time comes, people will see the work that you put in…" 

"Not being in the spotlight, if you get on Instagram, you probably won't scroll and see my name, but you'll probably see some other guys' names. Once you kind of get to know who I was, it's like I became out of the spotlight," Lawrence added.

That quiet approach also reflected how Lawrence entered the draft process. He is 6’4”, 253 pounds, and ran a 4.52 40-yard dash, showing good speed for an EDGE player at the NFL Combine.

One area the Cowboys have been focused on is correcting a false step in Lawrence's pass rush, something he has been working on specifically in the buildup to training camp.

"I've seen great work just hitting it every day," Lawrence said. "Just making it one of my key focuses so I can use my explosiveness to my advantage when getting off the ball. Working with BT [Jordan] with that has been great."

With training camp coming up, he will soon have the chance to prove himself on the field. 

His work during the offseason has already started getting noticed, including by Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. 

Brian Schottenheimer was impressed with Malachi Lawrence

Brian Schottenheimer spoke about Malachi Lawrence's progress during minicamp, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.

“I’ve been most pleasantly surprised by the instincts when he drops in coverage,” Schottenheimer said of Lawrence. “They didn’t drop him much at UCF, for the right reasons.” 

Schottenheimer's comments show that Lawrence has already made a good impression during the offseason program.

Dallas HC further praised him, "I don’t remember him making a lot of mistakes, and that’s a good thing.”

For a rookie who says he's comfortable staying out of the spotlight, earning his coach's trust may be the clearest sign that his approach is paying off.

What do you think about Malachi Lawrence's approach to the 2026 season?

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Written by

Divyanshi Raj

Edited by

Rudra Dubey