Ravens Have Two Defensive Rookie of the Year Candidates

The Baltimore Ravens didn't just have two obvious first-round talents fall into their laps with their first two picks the 2025 NFL Draft, they landed a pair of potential game-changers.

With the selection of former Georgia standout safety Malaki Starks at No. 27 overall on opening night and former Marshall star edge rusher Mike Green at No. 59 overall in the second round, they have two rookies who can contribute at a high level right away and contend for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

There have only been two Ravens in franchise history to win the award with Peter Boulware being the first in 1997 and future Hall of Famer and team all-time sack leader Terell Suggs being the second in 2003. Over the last 22 years, only four of their rookies have even garnered votes for consideration with last year's first-round cornerback Nate Wiggins being the most recent by finishing 11th in voting with just seven points. The other three before him were linebackers Patrick Queen (2020) and C.J. Mosely (2014) as well as safety Dawan Landry (2006).

Starks was the consensus top-rated safety in this year's class and his addition to the Ravens defense doesn't just free up other members of the secondary to be more versatile but he can also be a dynamic playmaker in his own right. He'll form one of the best safety trios in the league with two-time Pro Bowler Kyle Hamilton and fifth-year veteran Ar'Darius Washington. If he lines up in a traditional free safety role most of the time, he could showcase his elite range and ball skills to make splash plays.

September can't get here fast enough 😈

Draft resumes at 7 p.m. tonight on ESPN/ABC/NFL Net pic.twitter.com/3RiShwec2u
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 25, 2025

The Ravens sorely missed the presence of former late-round gem Geno Stone as their third safety last season. He filled in more than admirably as a starter when high-priced veteran Marcus Williams was injured for stretches from 2022-2023 and broke out in a big way in his final season by leading the AFC with a career-high six interceptions.

Only two safeties have ever been named Defensive Rookie of the Year in the nearly 60 history of the award's existence with the last one being more than three decades ago when Mark Carrier of the Chicago Bears led the league with a whopping 10 interceptions and forced five fumbles. While notching double-digit interceptions or even just leading the league might all but guarantee that Starks wins the award. Being on primetime at a high clip might also help his cause as the Ravens are regularly one of the teams who receive the maximum allotments each year.

As for Green, his path to receiving the honor is much simpler and straightforward and doesn't even require him to be a full-time starter. The Ravens' outside linebacker depth chart is stacked this year following his arrival as they are returning every player that was on the roster last season and former undrafted gem Malik Hamm will be back from injury. However, he is too talented not at least have a role as a rotational pass rusher which could result in him being able to rack up some impressive, if not gaudy, sack and pressure numbers.

Coming soon ⏳

📺: ABC/ESPN/NFL Net pic.twitter.com/t1bsBJ8yln
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) April 26, 2025

Four of the last five recipients of the honor have been edge defenders including each of the previous two, Will Anderson of the Houston Texans and Jared Verse of the Los Angeles Rams. Neither of them recorded double-digit sacks as a rookie but did reach double figures in quarterback hits and tackles for loss. Verse only recorded 4.5 sacks which didn't even lead his own team but he was able to come up with some big plays on big stages that stuck in the minds of voters and was dominant all the way around in his first season including against the run as an edge setter.

After Abdul Carter who went No. 3 overall to the New York Giants, many prominent draft analysts viewed Green as high as the second-best edge talent in this year's class. In the post-draft press conference after selecting him, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta said they believe he is "one of the premier pass rushers in this draft."

Even if Green has a monster season in which he gets close or even records double digits in sacks, pressures, quarterbacks and tackles for loss, the same red flag that caused him to fall out of the first round entirely despite being a top 20 talent might cost him a chance to bring home the DROY hardware. He had a pair of sexual assault allegations made against him, one in high school and the other in college at the University of Virginia.

The Ravens claimed they did their due diligence on him prior to pulling the trigger to draft him and stop his fall down the board including speaking to members of both college programs he was a part of as well as people from his hometown in Williamsburg, Virginia. While they were willing to make what some deemed as a risky pick, Associated Press voters who now have their ballots made available to the public might not be as willing to give him enough first-place votes to win the award even if he winds up being the most deserving for his play of the field.

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