Malaki Starks looked dapper wearing a pink suit on draft night, and his skillset seems tailormade for Baltimore's secondary.
The Ravens began their 2025 draft class by selecting Starks 27th overall, a talented safety from Georgia who was the player most often linked to them in mock drafts. It was a nervous night for Starks, who was relieved and ecstatic when the Ravens dialed his number.
In the end, it was a good night for Starks that turned out the way he hoped.
"I was sitting on the coach about to play UNO," Starks said, who was waiting in the green room in Green Bay where the draft was held. "It's been a long night, and I was just trying to stay calm through the whole thing. And then I heard the phone ring and I knew I was a Raven. I'm excited, I don't want to waste the opportunity, I'm ready to get to work."
Starks' versatility is what the Ravens were looking for as a potential starter next to All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton. Over three seasons, Starks played more than 500 snaps for Georgia as a slot corner, in addition to more than 1,500 snaps at safety.
He started as a freshman for arguably the best defense in the country and produced six interceptions and 23 passes defensed over his three seasons. The two-time first team All-American had anticipated for weeks that he might be headed to Baltimore. Now that he's joining the Ravens, Starks sounds eager to immerse himself in the defense and make an immediate impact for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
"Just to come in and learn from a guy like Kyle Hamilton, and a lot of vets in the room like Marlon Humphrey, I think it's amazing," Starks said. "I think I fit the culture very well."
Starks joins Hamilton, Humphrey, and Ar'Darius Washington as another chess piece who can line up in different positions and create confusion for opposing quarterbacks.
"He plays both safety (positions), he plays nickel, he plays the DIME linebacker spot, which is what Kyle does, which is what Ar'Darius does, and Marlon plays inside and outside," Head Coach John Harbaugh said. "The ability to move all those pieces around in different positions is pretty exciting.
"He's smart, he's tough, he loves everything about football. He walked down the hallway (at the draft) out to the stage – he looked like he was coming through the tunnel on gameday. He was ready to go. He's just excited to be a Raven, and we're excited to have him."
Starks's six career interceptions shows his nose for producing takeaways, and forcing turnovers is an area where Baltimore wants to improve. He comes from a Georgia program that has produced many productive NFL defensive players, and he was also a team captain and leader for the Bulldogs.
"Wired like a Raven. Great mentality. Probably one of the most impressive interviews we've ever had at the Combine," General Manager Eric DeCosta said. "I was reminded that the first time we took a Starks (Duane) in the first round, he ended up intercepting a pass in the Super Bowl. Hopefully it ends up happening again."
DeCosta wasn't sure Starks would still be available at No. 27, but things played out the way Baltimore hoped.
"The phone started ringing, we had some opportunities to trade back," DeCosta said. "For me, looking at the quality of player that we had with Starks, this was a guy that really checked every single box for us."
