If the Detroit Lions were hoping to see Malachi Lawrence fall to them at 50th overall in this year's draft, they might have another thing coming following his NFL Scouting Combine performance.
Lawrence, a University of Central Florida standout, put together a speedy combine workout that has him rising up several big boards ahead of the draft in April. ESPN's Mel Kiper has him as one of his biggest draft risers, writing that the defender might've just boosted his stock thanks to keeping pace with other top pass rushing talent like David Bailey and Arvell Reese.
"Lawrence turned in a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash. And despite weighing over 250 pounds, he jumped 40 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-10 in the broad -- both second best among the edges. At UCF last season, Lawrence had seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He can fly off the edge, with really solid closing speed and overall agility. He's in the Day 2 discussion as one of the biggest risers of the week."
Detroit might want to go with an edge rusher at 17th overall depending on who falls there, but if they don't, Lawrence could be a pristine target with their Round 2 pick.
Potential Lions target might be off the board early on Day 2
Lawrence was amongst a group of standout pass rushers who, during the combine, really made a name for themselves as either late 1st round targets or, at minimum, early 2nd round selections. Bailey, Lawrence, and Dani Dennis-Sutton were all standouts according to Kiper, and it just showed exactly why many feel this class of pass rushers is deeper than in recent memory.
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This is excellent news for Brad Holmes and the Lions, as they have been forced to try and key in on potential "hidden gems" later in the draft at pass rusher. Ahmed Hassanein was their last attempt at this, and he wasn't healthy enough to even play in 2025. This draft poses their best shot at actually landing a perfect backup, or co-star, to Aidan Hutchinson on the defensive line.
Ideally, Detroit signs a starting pass rusher to pair with Hutchinson and they take someone like Lawrence who can provide some snaps in relief of either player. Even if they miss on Lawrence, they'll have plenty of other names to monitor at this position early on Day 2, assuming they don't use their top pick at the edge.