The Baltimore Ravens brought in the largest draft class in the league, selecting 11 players in the 2025 NFL Draft. Like usual, scouts and analysts graded their haul as one of the best, highlighted by two of the biggest steals in safety Malaki Starks and pass rusher Mike Green. Both fell far below where most scouts ranked them, and for Starks, he is expected to be impactful from day one.
Every step of Starks’ career has been dominant. He started at Georgia as a true freshman and was a coveted draft prospect since first taking the field at the collegiate level. This success has translated to his first NFL offseason, making a seamless transition to training activities in Baltimore. With training camp kicking off, Starks is starting to see his first true challenges, but he has yet to miss a beat.
During a press conference at Saturday’s training camp session, defensive coordinator Zach Orr highlighted the outlook of the team’s defense in 2025. One of the players discussed was Starks, and the praise could not be higher.
“He’s fitting in great. Every test that we’ve thrown at him since the spring up to now, he’s passed with flying colors,” Orr said of Starks. “We’ll start getting in pads next week, and we’ll start having these preseason games and regular season games, and we’ll see if he passes those tests, which we expect him to do. He’s a heck of a person, heck of a player, and if you’re a talented player and you work hard on and off the field, the chances of you being successful are near 100 percent. Malaki fits that mold.”
The Starks hype is only getting stronger
Most rookies tend to have a learning curve when entering their first NFL offseason. The roles, schemes, and competition level can all be vastly different. According to coaches, though, Starks is already looking like a professional. He is special.
Baltimore lacked a playmaker and a turnover creator in 2024. Starks can be that. Baltimore also lacked reliable safety play in 2024. Starks can provide that, too. He is truly everything the Ravens need in a player, and he is quickly turning heads. The secondary struggled mightily, but the addition of Starks, although just a rookie, can help turn the ship around.
It is unfair to put this amount of pressure on a rookie, but Starks is proving he can handle it. He didn’t give in to the stress when starting for a championship-caliber team in his freshman season at Georgia, and while it is much more competitive, playing for a Super Bowl-caliber team with the Ravens should feel somewhat similar.
Alongside Kyle Hamilton, Starks should help create the best safety duo in the league. The addition of the rookie will have a significant impact, and the unit should turn it around and form one of the top defenses in 2025.