OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Even a cursory glance at pre-draft coverage made the Ravens’ interest in Georgia safety Malaki Starks obvious.
Easily the most popular name linked to them in various mock drafts, the 6-foot-1, 203-pound defensive back wasn’t the only prospect Baltimore would have been happy to take with the 27th overall pick, but Eric DeCosta admitted “it was kind of weird to just always consistently see us tied to him,” especially when picking so late in the first round. The general manager went out of his way to note that Starks — a three-year starter for a perennial SEC powerhouse and a 2022 national champion — completed “one of the most impressive interviews we’ve ever had” at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Between Starks’ on-field performance — six interceptions and 127 tackles in 43 career games — and football intellect, the fit made plenty of sense even if you preferred the Ravens taking a swing for more pass-rush help or addressing their offensive line in the opening round.
“It was remarkable the way that he could discuss football, his awareness, his ability to call out the plays from their defense before we even show the plays just based on formation,” said DeCosta about meeting with the 21-year-old Starks. “His ability to dissect and talk about what happened at any given play and to know what his teammates were doing on any given play, it was like he was a coach. … It was just super impressive. I haven’t seen that type of detail in a long time.”
Of course, the pick comes on the heels of a 2024 campaign in which Baltimore had to make major changes to the secondary because of the poor play of former $70 million safety Marcus Williams and veteran No. 3 safety Eddie Jackson that led to countless big plays and the league’s 32nd-ranked pass defense through mid-November. Their immense struggles prompted the insertion of Ar’Darius Washington into the starting lineup and the move of two-time Pro Bowl selection Kyle Hamilton to a more conventional deep safety role. A defense accustomed to using three-safety alignments for years was suddenly depending on using as many as four cornerbacks in sub packages with no other dependable safeties on the roster behind Hamilton and Washington.
Those changes did result in major improvement down the stretch, but the adjustments also meant fewer splash plays from Hamilton, who’s capable of wreaking havoc lining up virtually anywhere on the field. After finishing first in the NFL in takeaways (31) the previous year, the Ravens ranked just 20th in turnovers (17) with Hamilton not playing in the box or at the nickel spot as often. As effectively as the 6-foot-4, 202-pound Hamilton played in deep coverage, you certainly prefer the freedom to maximize his elite talents, which include covering an array of receivers, playing the run, and blitzing the quarterback.
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The arrival of Starks not only allows that, but it helps ease depth concerns behind starting cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins and cover up the inconsistency of weak-side inside linebacker Trenton Simpson — who was benched after the December bye — with the flexibility to play more sub packages that require only two cornerbacks or one inside linebacker (Roquan Smith) on the field. Factoring in Humphrey’s ability to play outside or the nickel at an All-Pro level, the Ravens can get back to more of a “position-less” secondary, which leads to more confusion for the opposing quarterback — and an increased threat for turnovers.
Starks himself was extremely versatile at Georgia with Pro Football Focus tracking him playing at least 200 snaps apiece in the box, at the nickel, and as a deep safety last season.
“The good news is the offense isn’t going to know who’s going to be back there on any given play,” head coach John Harbaugh said. “You’re not going to be able to line up and say, ‘OK, Kyle’s going to be deep,’ or even, ‘Ar’Darius is going to be deep.’ All three of those guys can be on the field a lot or Marlon can go back and can play deep if we wanted him to. Really now, it’s those three guys as interchangeable parts playing any one of those four positions in there. That’s pretty exciting.”
Of course, we’ll see how it plays out with the Ravens needing to address their defensive line and preferring more impact depth at edge rusher and cornerback. Baltimore certainly likes its new toy in the secondary, but that doesn’t mean Starks is destined to be the next Ed Reed or Hamilton. His athletic testing wasn’t overly impressive, and some pundits noted how he was better in 2023 than he was in his final season at Georgia.
The good news is that defensive coordinator Zach Orr and secondary coach Chuck Pagano won’t need to put too much on his plate right away after the starting duo of Hamilton and Washington — the latter being in a walk year — proved so successful last season. But it’s obvious that Starks checked every box, making him tough for the Ravens to pass up in trying to make the secondary more dynamic and to put the early woes of 2024 behind them for good.
“Just the things that they’ve been doing the last few years, I think it’s a great fit for me just to come in and learn from a guy like Kyle Hamilton,” Starks said. “There are a lot of vets in the room like Marlon Humphrey. I think it’s amazing, and I think I fit the culture very well.”
Nearly everyone else agreed.
