Malaki Starks Amazed Ravens DC During Pre-Draft Process

For the second year in a row, Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Zach Orr didn't believe that a defensive back prospect he and the rest of the coaching staff coveted and thought extremely highly would fall into their laps in the first round of the NFL Draft.

Much to his surprise, that is exactly what happened at No. 27 overall in the first round when they were on the clock last Thursday and former Georgia star safety Malaki Starks was still on the board, ripe for the taking so they did.

"@StarksMalaki is one of the top players in this Draft."

DC Orr and the Ravens are all in on Malaki Starks‼️ pic.twitter.com/WEVVPOdhBP
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2025

"When you combine his on-the-field talent, his on-the-field production combined with his character, his work ethic and his mindset that we look for in Baltimore, he was a clear-cut No. 1 defensive player for us, as coaches," Orr said Friday during Starks' introductory press conference.

Starks wasn't just the top consensus safety prospect in this year's class and the most common first-round projection for the Ravens but he is also one of the most versatile rookie defensive backs as well having played deep, in the box and in the slot for the Bulldogs last season.

"He's very familiar with playing all over the secondary, which was [appealing] to us," Orr said. "He's a playmaker, he's a ballhawk, and then most importantly, he's a dog, in the classroom, off the field and on the field. [He] loves ball. That's what we're looking for in Baltimore, so we're excited to add him to our defense. He's going to be a great piece for us, and we're excited to get to work with him."

Starks dazzled the Ravens throughout the pre-draft process starting with earning a rare perfect score during a 15-minute interview with team officials at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine. Orr was in attendance for the meeting and was equally as impressed. He was even more blown away by his newest weapon at the Georgia Pro Day where Starks had one of the best workouts he has ever seen, "not just from a DB, just from a football player in general."

"You see it on film, but then just getting really close on the field where you can really see the movement skills and the ball skills," Orr said. "He made a catch where he [back]-pedaled, got deep, broke on the ball beautifully, made an acrobatic catch and then jumped right over – they had some tape and a rope – and he saved himself and jumped over it all in one motion, and everybody in attendance was just wowed. So, after that workout, I honestly, personally, was saying, 'There's no way he's going to get to [the number] 27 [overall pick]. There's no way.' All the coaches, the GMs and the head coaches who were there were raving about him, but the Pro Day was so impressive."

Prior to selecting Starks, the Ravens had only used a first-round pick on a safety three times in the first 29 years of the franchise with the first being Hall of Famer Ed Reed in 2002 and 20 years later, they had two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton fall into their laps outside of the top 10. Starks is excited to be joining an organization with such rich defensive traditions and a great track record with players at his position taken in both the early and later rounds.

“A really big thing for me is showing respect for the guys that came before you." @StarksMalaki on being a part of such a strong DB room: pic.twitter.com/lMznaPjafc
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2025

"I think it's huge, and I take pride in it," Starks said. "A really big thing for me is showing respect for the guys who came before you and paving the way for the ones who are going to come after you, so just being able to be in that room and learn from those guys and just the history that runs here, like I said earlier, just really tap into that and learn what it means to be a Raven. I'm excited."

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