UGA Star Malaki Starks on Raiders, Bowers

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The 2025 NFL Scouting Combine is underway at Lucas Oil Stadium this week.

Over the last few days, the Las Vegas Raiders have been among the most intriguing teams to follow, from the Matthew Stafford and Tom Brady saga to Pete Carroll and John Spytek's evaluation of talent.

There are plenty of impressive players who have been meeting with teams and talking to the media about their experiences in Indianapolis. We have brought you plenty of content that you can check out on our website.

Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks told me he has met with the Raiders. He discussed the meeting during his media session on Thursday.

“Awesome coaching staff,” he said. “I mean, the history they have there, too, and like I said earlier, Chris [Smith II] was kind of my mentor coming in, so I learned a lot from him. Just going against Brock [Bowers] every day, Brock is Brock, there’s not too much to say.”

Starks recalled why facing Raiders tight end Brock Bowers in practice every day made him a better player.

“I think the big reason why I got on the field is during camp, I beat him more than he beat me,” he said. “He was the best tight end in the country, so if I can cover him, I can cover anybody. I think just going against him, just getting those reps, he’s such a great player, so the things he does are crazy. So, just being able to compete against him really made me who I am.”

Starks was asked what the secret was to covering Bowers.

“Just learning and just watching the way he moves, learning how to move my feet, and competing, I think,” he said. “That was my biggest thing when I got to Georgia. I didn’t care where I played, I just wanted to get on the field. So, when I got the opportunity, I took it and ran with it.”

Starks posted 197 total tackles, six for loss, 17 passes defended, and six interceptions in three years with the Bulldogs. He is a versatile defensive back who can play anywhere in the secondary.

No. 6 overall may be too rich for the Raiders to take Starks, but they have the resources if they wanted to trade back into the first round for him.

Despite low positional value, Starks may go highly in the draft. We will see how much interest the Raiders have in him.

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