The Dallas Cowboys made two selections in Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft, and they selected Caleb Downs with the No. 11 pick. Downs was widely viewed as one of the safest and most pro-ready players in the entire class, so it’s not a surprise that he’s already having success in the NFL.
The second selection was Malachi Lawrence, a toolsy EDGE rusher from Central Florida. It was no secret that the Cowboys needed pass-rush help this offseason, but it was a small surprise that they opted for the more unproven rusher over players like Cashius Howell and R Mason Thomas, who were highly productive in the SEC.
Howell and Thomas were both very good in their NFL debuts, but what about Lawrence? Did he show anything that can get fans of the Cowboys excited?
Cowboys' Malachi Lawrence off to a slow start in NFL
In a recent article by Dalton Wasserman of Pro Football Focus, he wrote about all 32 first-round picks from April’s draft and how they performed in their NFL debuts. Caleb Downs passed with flying colors, but Lawrence’s overall grade leaves a lot to be desired. Here is what Wasserman had to say about the No. 23 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft:
“Lawrence finished Week 1 as the lowest-graded qualified rookie edge defender. He managed to record one hurry among 11 pass-rush reps but struggled in the run game, playing to a 37.2 PFF run-defense grade. He twice lost contain on Jaxson Dart on read option plays. Lawrence also missed two tackles on the night.”
It was a tough night for all of the defensive linemen in Dallas in Week 1 as the Giants had them completely off-balanced. The Cowboys really never forced Jaxson Dart into obvious passing situations, meaning that the EDGE rushers couldn’t pin their ears back and get to the quarterback.
Lawrence did finish the game with a pass-rush grade of 64.5, which is considered slightly above average for an NFL pass rusher. He did record a pressure (and a hurry) despite playing just 11 pass-rush snaps, as PFF noted.
The issue was the run game, which was a problem for Lawrence in college as well. He’s not the most fundamentally sound run defender, and it’ll take him a lot of time to get there.
Malachi Lawrence has to be better defending the run
While PFF grades aren't the be-all and end-all when it comes to evaluation, they do give us a general sense of how a player performed.
And according to the grades, Lawrence was the second-lowest-graded EDGE rusher (34.8) in the entire NFL in Week 1. That doesn't mean he can't drastically improve (he will), but it's a good reminder of where he is starting now.
It’s also worth noting that Christian Parker put him in some difficult situations on Sunday night. Twice, he was lined up in the slot against Isaiah Likely in zone coverage.
The Cowboys drafted Lawrence for his ability to rush the passer, not to drop into zone coverage against one of the NFL’s better receiving tight ends. That will be part of his job description moving forward, but it’s not something worth being concerned about moving forward.
We shouldn’t overreact too much based on one performance from Lawrence, especially knowing that he is a fairly raw prospect who is going to need some time to develop. However, Sunday was a good reminder of why you shouldn’t bank on rookie EDGE rushers to contribute in a big way early on. Here's hoping Lawrence can take a big step forward in Week 2 against the Commanders.
Grade: D+
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