Manual High School product Malachi Lawrence was selected Thursday in the first round of the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

Lawrence, a 6-foot-4, 253-pound defensive end from Central Florida, was the 23rd overall pick.

Lawrence graduated from Manual in 2021. As a senior on the 2020 Crimsons football team, Lawrence was limited to just five games because of the COVID-19 pandemic and earned honorable-mention All-State honors from The Courier Journal.

He posted 18 tackles, 5½ tackles for loss and 2½ sacks and also caught two passes for 30 yards for a Manual team that finished 3-2 after falling to St. Xavier in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Lawrence redshirted as a freshman (2021) at UCF and then went on to play four seasons, capping his college career with a big senior campaign in 2025.

Lawrence was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection while helping the Knights to a 5-7 record. He finished with a career-high 28 tackles (17 solo), 11 tackles for loss and seven sacks. His 20 career sacks rank 10th all-time at UCF.

According to ESPN.com’s draft analysis, Lawrence “is a high-motor edge rusher with the length to get into the blocker's chest, and he plays with active hands to keep offensive linemen from locking on to him. He has very good fluidity, displaying the ability to bend and dip while continuing his forward momentum, slipping past blocks. His skill set enables him to track the ball and play with active hands to shed in the direction of the ball carrier.”

Lawrence was one of two first-round picks for the Cowboys on Thursday night. They selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 11th pick.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs.

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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: NFL Draft 2026, Louisville native Malachi Lawrence to Dallas Cowboys