General Manager Eric DeCosta has done hundreds, if not thousands, of interviews at the NFL Combine, but not many prospects compared to Malaki Starks.
DeCosta said that Starks, who the Ravens took No. 27 overall out of Georgia, was one of the best pre-draft interviews he has ever done. And by the time the Ravens were on the clock, he was Baltimore's "best player by far."
"We are happy to take Malaki Starks," DeCosta said. "He's a player that we've seen over the last couple of years, a great football player at a great football program. Wired like a Raven. Great mentality. Probably one of the most impressive interviews we've ever had at the Combine."
Starks was a three-year starter at Georgia and a two-time All-American, but his intangibles as a leader and football mind are just as terrific. Starks was labeled a "red star" player by Baltimore's scouting staff, meaning he's someone that embodies being a Raven on and off the field.
"I just think it was remarkable, the way that he could discuss football," DeCosta said of Starks' pre-draft interview. "His awareness, his ability to call out the plays from their defense before we even showed the plays, just based on formation. The ability to dissect and talk about what happened on any given play and to know what his teammates were doing on any given play.
"It was like he was a coach. And when he got up we all were just kind of looking at each other. We use a grading scale, we grade every interview, and seven is the best, and across the board he got straight sevens. So it was just super impressive. I haven't seen that type of detail in a long time."
