2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Malaki Starks

Strengths

• High Football IQ: Starks cemented himself as the captain of a complicated Georgia secondary; he displayed an elite processor at UGA and a nuanced understanding of the complex scheme Smart implements.
• Versatility: Starks logged snaps at every position in the secondary as well as each zone on the field. He's a proper modern NFL safety who displayed scheme-proof capabilities.
• Run Support: Starks showcased both physical and aggressive traits in run support that allowed Georgia to play him close to the line of scrimmage as a box defender.
• Ball Skills: Starks tracks the football exceptionally well and can run in stride with receivers while also flipping his head to locate the ball mid-flight.

Weaknesses

• Combine Testing: Starks' draft stock may have dipped after a less-than-impressive Combine performance that saw him run a 4.5, which ranked 19th amongst all safeties.
• Press Coverage: He struggled a bit in coverage this past season as UGA relied on him to play nickel over his more natural free safety position.
• Consistent Pursuit Angles: Starks is a reliable run defender, but he will need to refine his tackling angles in the NFL.

Final Thoughts and Chicago Bears Fit for Malaki Starks

I love Malaki Starks, and he would be an immediate impact player for the Chicago Bears. That said, there's no way they take him at 10th overall, and I have to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles and Vic Fangio are rubbing their lucky rabbit's feet in hopes that he falls to them at 32. When watching Malaki Starks, I see many similarities to prime Kevin Byard. Like Byard, Starks is a player who can be positioned all over the field and get favorable results.

Starks is a high-floor, high-ceiling safety. Despite his mediocre testing numbers at the Combine, he's my #1 safety in the draft class by a country mile. Whereas Nick Emmanwori exploded onto the scene after the Underwear Olympics, Starks has shown on film that he is a spark plug and a player you can build your defense around.

His versatility makes him a fit in any scheme, and his rare combination of physical tackling and ball skills sets him apart from his contemporaries. He reminds me a lot of Kyle Hamilton, another player who was touted as one of the most talented in his draft class but whose stock tumbled after he tested poorly at the Combine.

Pro Comp: Kevin Byard