When the Cowboys selected Ohio State safety Caleb Downs with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Dallas’ war room erupted in celebration. In the press conference following the first round, the Cowboys’ brass admitted they didn’t think Downs would be close to being available.
In the days and weeks after, Downs’ selection captured headlines as one of the best picks in the draft, and rightfully so. But 12 picks after Downs became a Cowboy, Dallas’ second first-round pick Malachi Lawrence was drafted to help the defense too. Lawrence’s name hasn’t been in as many headlines, and he’s perfectly fine with that.
“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.”
The Cowboys are excited about what Downs and Lawrence can do to help their defense, which was among the worst in the league and franchise history in 2025. Throughout the draft process, Downs was regarded as one of the best overall prospects in the class. Lawrence on the other hand was a name that wasn’t discussed as widely, but that changed in Indianapolis.