The Indianapolis Colts are hosting rising pass-rush prospect UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence on a visit this week, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
Malachi Lawrence (6’4”, 253 lbs) is one of the draft’s biggest risers this year. He had 7 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 2 forced fumbles during his senior season, and burst onto the scene after a fantastic NFL Combine week. Lawrence ranked second among all Combine participants at his position with an athletic score of 88, per the NFL’s system, running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash (1.59 sec 10-yard split) and jumping 40” in the vertical jump and 10’ 10” in the broad jump.
The Colts have lacked a viable pass rush in recent years, with notable shortcomings coming from the defensive end room. With Indy’s offseason focus surrounding additions to the defensive front seven, particularly at linebacker and defensive end, it checks out that they’re interested in the 41st-best prospect (and 8th-best DE) per the Consensus Big Board.
There have been successful one-off campaigns, such as Yannick Ngakoue’s 9.5 sacks in 2022 or Samson Ebukam’s 9.5 sacks in 2023. Even as recently as last year, Laiatu Latu began to put it together in his second season, finishing with 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss. However, betting on Latu’s emergence in his third season isn’t the issue; it’s the lack of starting-caliber players in that position room.
As of now, the Colts’ defensive end room goes as follows:
Starters: Laiatu Latu and Jaylahn Tuimoloau
Reserves: Arden Key, Michael Clemons, Durell Nchami, Viliami Fehoko Jr.
Tuimoloau was drafted in the second round of last year’s draft, being viewed as the eventual starter alongside Laiatu Latu. He only saw limited action in 13 games as a rookie, but there’s not enough to confidently bet on him emerging in year two — this is where a Day 2 pass rush prospect like Malachi Lawrence comes into play.
The only concern with general manager Chris Ballard taking another defensive end in the early stages of the draft, more specifically in the second round, is the poor collective hit rate that has followed. There have been five second-round draft selections, including Tuimoloau, with only one logging more than 5.5 sacks in a single season (i.e., Dayo Odeyingbo — 8 sacks in 2023). Sacks aren’t everything when it comes to defensive end play, but it’s certainly a bigger expectation when one drafts with pass rush upside in mind.
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