Philadelphia Eagles fans have had their eyes set on UCF edge rusher Malachi Lawrence in the 2026 NFL Draft, but he's not the only one from the school that the team should be looking at.
Lawrence is projected to be a late first-round or second-round pick, with the Eagles attached as a potential selection at picks 23 or 54. While Lawrence has all the upside to be one of the premier pass rushers in the draft, his teammate at UCF is also catching a lot of attention.
NBC Sports Philadelphia's Ryan Fowler reported that UCF edge rusher Nyjalik Kelly has interest from the Eagles. Kelly has racked up 12.5 sacks in his four-year college career at Miami and UCF, but got everyone talking about his 35 1/8” arm length, which is the longest for an edge rusher under 260 pounds in the last 15 years.
Eagles looking at Nyjalik Kelly as a potential option off the edge in the draft
The Eagles need edge rusher help from the draft after losing Jaelan Phillips in free agency to the Carolina Panthers. Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka were added by Philly in free agency to help offset the Phillips loss, but more is needed.
One problem is whether the Eagles can trust Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt to be the starters on the team. Smith is coming off an injury that cost him almost half the season, while Hunt had a breakout 2025 season with six sacks and three interceptions, leading the team in both categories.
Kelly would make for an interesting selection for the Eagles as they could get him on Day 3 instead of using a high pick on an edge rusher. Development would be needed, but he could make for a good rotational player early on.
Read more: Eagles' plans at pick 23 isn't as crystal clear as fans would want before draft
There's plenty of options for the Eagles, but getting it right is going to be critical. Kelly could help this team out.
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