AFC Notes: Malaki Starks, Bengals, Browns QB Competition, Ravens

Bengals

The Bengals used a second-round pick on LB Demetrius Knight Jr. out of South Carolina. Cincinnati senior personnel executive Troy Brown believes he’s built to play in the AFC North because of his physicality and ability to make plays on the ball. 

“He’s an AFC North linebacker and he’s a perfect fit for what we want to do here in Cincinnati,” Brown said, via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. “In terms of how his skill sets match up to what Al and his staff want to do. You always want to find guys in this division who are physical. You always want to find guys who have a nose for the football.”

“You want to find guys, especially at linebacker, who are high character, guys that have leadership qualities, because there is a lot on those guys’ plates. The demand of getting guys lined up, understanding the play call, being one of the leaders on the defense. And so there’s a lot that’s put on linebackers in our league. Mr. Knight has those qualities to ascend at our level.”

Browns

Browns GM Andrew Berry said after drafting QB Shedeur Sanders in the fifth round that he’s not eliminated from competing for a starting role.

“We expect every player to compete,” Berry said, via NY Times. “Simple as that.”

Browns HC Kevin Stefanski was asked about dividing reps between Sanders and rookie Dillon Gabriel, as well as the other players on the roster.

“There are ways to do both of those things,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, you may not divide the (reps equally) with 25 (percent to each player), but we feel really confident that we’ll have a plan that is fair to each player and fair to the team as well.”

Berry believes that Sanders can outperform his draft slot and didn’t cost the team much after taking him in the fifth round.

“We live by our board,” Berry said. “We felt like (Sanders) was a good, solid prospect at the most important position. We felt like it got to a point where he was probably mispriced relative to the draft. Really, the acquisition cost was pretty light, and he’s a guy that we think can outproduce his draft slot. So, I wouldn’t say it’s any more than that. I think, obviously, Shedeur has kind of grown up in the spotlight, but our expectation is for him to come in here and work and compete. Nothing’s been promised. Nothing will be given. So, I may hesitate to characterize it as a blockbuster (trade). That’s not necessarily how we thought of the transaction, but we are excited to work with him.”

Ravens

The Ravens were the first team to take a safety in the 2025 NFL Draft when picking up Malaki Starks at No. 27 overall. Mike Sando of The Athletic cites an anonymous executive who points out teams can find immediate starters at “non-premium positions” if they are willing to invest in them. 

“If you are willing to take a non-premium position, you can get those immediate starters like that, or like Jack Campbell in Detroit (No. 18 in 2023),” the executive said. “For Malaki Starks to be the only safety in Round 1, for (Nick) Emmanwori to go Round 2 coming off that freak workout and for Xavier Watts, I was shocked that he almost fell all the way to Day 3.”