The Baltimore Ravens make a solid selection at 27, taking Georgia safety Malaki Starks in the 2025 NFL Draft to form an elite tandem with Kyle Hamilton. General manager Eric DeCosta has had great success with safety picks in the last few seasons, especially with Hamilton. With Starks available, they bypass an edge rusher or offensive or defensive linemen and get the top safety on the board.
Ravens Select Safety Malaki Starks with Pick 27
Baltimore gets an instinctual, roaming free safety that they were missing with Marcus Williams, who they cut after a good season in 2023. In 2024, it was a nightmare, as the Ravens’ defense was in shambles till the mid-way point, as they had to shift Hamilton over more often, revamping the defense. Now, with Starks and Hamilton, along with Ar’Darius Washington, form an insane safety/ nickel corner trio that the Ravens can rotate in their defense.
The 21-year-old junior safety had six interceptions and was a ball-hawk for the Bulldogs. At 6’1″ and 197 lbs., although he didn’t have the best combine like Nick Emmanwori, on tape, he was the best safety in the country in 2023 and 2024. Starks had 17 pass deflections and was asked to play more nickel cornerback in 2024, which could have led to some of the stats not being as great as in 2023.
Final Thoughts
With high awareness and character, Baltimore gets another playmaker in the secondary who struggled early in the season. Now, they can attack their other needs on defense on day two of the draft, as they have plenty of picks throughout, with 10 more, mostly on day three. I would expect them to get a offensive lineman and a defensive lineman, especially at edge rusher. They could also use another cornerback and wide receiver, so this makes day two of the 2025 NFL Draft potentially interesting. This move helps defend offenses like the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, and Cincinnati Bengals in 2025.
