Two Ravens Named Rookie of Year Favorites

It's always difficult to predict how well rookies will transition to the next level, but two Baltimore Ravens are believed to excel in the NFL and quickly.

Dan Parr of NFL.com believes Ravens second-round pick Mike Green has the fourth-best shot in the league to win the 2025 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award.

"Winning DROY has proven extremely elusive for players picked outside of Round 1. DeMeco Ryans and Shaquille Leonard — both linebackers selected early in Round 2 — are the only guys who have accomplished the feat in the last 20 years," Parr writes. "Green is somewhat of a unique case, though, as he was widely considered a top-20 talent but fell all the way to Baltimore late in Round 2 amid questions about two sexual assault allegations."

Green's talent on the field is not in question, though. The 21-year-old led all FBS players with 17 sacks last season at Marshall and has already been impressing early on in Baltimore.

If that continues, the Ravens may have just landed themselves one of the biggest steals of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Parr also thinks safety Malaki Starks, Baltimore's first-round pick, has the eighth-best chance at winning the award.

"We have not seen a safety win DROY since 1990. Yet, it’s hard for me to not be enamored with the table that’s been set for this Ravens rookie," Parr writes. "He’s joining what figures to be one of the league’s stoutest defenses, with Pro Bowl talent at all three levels. And we know he has a knack for making plays."

Starks is in line to make an immediate impact. Veteran safetyAr’Darius Washington suffered a torn Achilles this offseason that will cause him to miss most, if not all, of the 2025 season, and Starks is the next man up.

The 21-year-old is more than capable of rising up to the challenge, too. He helped lead the Georgia Bulldogs to a College Football National championship in 2022 and continued to elevate his game since, earning consensus All-American honors in 2023 and first-team All-American honors in 2024.

Starks finished his collegiate career with 198 tackles, six interceptions and 17 passes defensed from 2022-24.

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