What the Ravens Are Getting in Malaki Starks

Malaki Starks, a five-star safety from Georgia who immediately lived up to the hype, capable beyond his years in starting and key rotational roles, is on his way to a freshman All-American nod. He continued to trend upward, becoming a consensus All-American and surefire first-round NFL Draft pick three years later, selected by the Baltimore Ravens who rarely miss in early rounds.

Kyle Hamilton is no longer the only Raven who fits that description. A young star plucked off the board by the Ravens at No. 27 overall, Malaki Starks joins his fellow Peach State product to form one of the most promising back-end tandems in the league.

Via an X post from Graham Coffey at Dawgs Central on March 12: “Atlanta Falcons DC Jeff Ulbrich after watching Malaki Starks track and catch this ball… ‘Goodness gracious. That’s different. That might be the safest pick in the draft.”

Great players complement their teammates. In this case, combining Hamilton and Starks could have all kinds of exciting outcomes.

Starks is a former five-star recruit out of Jefferson, Georgia, logging 197 total tackles, six tackles for loss, six interceptions, and 17 pass breakups over his three seasons with his in-state Bulldogs.

For context, during his freshman season in 2022, the following players were teammates of Starks in the Georgia defensive backfield: Kelee Ringo, a Super Bowl champion and former fourth-round pick (Eagles), Chris Smith II, Las Vegas Raider, and Green Bay Packers second-round pick last year in Javon Bullard.

Malaki Starks is going to be SPECIAL in Baltimore 😈pic.twitter.com/ITTLgWiCUe
— Baltimore Sports Fan (@88OriolesFan88) April 25, 2025

To get on the field in any capacity north of mop-up duty in Athens, it takes a combination of traits that could be considered rare. That player would need an advanced Football IQ and mature decision-making ability fresh out of varsity, the mental fortitude to be fearless with physicality and assertiveness, and special talent that must include high-level speed.

It's fair to say Starks proved to have all of the above when he logged 69 total tackles, two tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and two interceptions as a true freshman, facing Alabama, Auburn, Florida, LSU, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, and others in 2022.

The 6-foot-1, 205-pound youngster faced and didn't struggle to contain pass-catchers like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Ricky Pearsell, Quentin Johnston, and others

Although Starks isn't a particularly large safety, those who underestimate his physicality, his ability to come downhill and drop and ball-carrier in his tracks, or his ability to battle for the football in the air and win will likely regret that oversight.

Baltimore is a particularly well-managed football team. The collective draft outcomes that rate among the top five among the 32 teams over the last half-decade is proof of that success, but far from the only example of the strength of the Ravens in the big picture.

Safe but highly-skilled draft picks who appear to have a higher likelihood of long-term success and stability at the pro level is Baltimore's bread and butter, and Starks is no exception.

Make sure you bookmark Baltimore Ravens On SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!