NFL Experts Praise Ravens' Malaki Starks Pick

The Baltimore Ravens entered the 2025 NFL Draft needing to address their secondary, an they did just that in the first round by taking Georgia safety Malaki Starks. It's rare that a pick gets universally praised, but that appears to be what's happening with Starks. To start, Charles McDonald of Yahoo gives the Ravens an A+ grade.

"Classic Ravens draft pick," McDonald writes. "A falling player that was highly sought after all season up until the draft. Malaki Starks and Kyle Hamilton will be an incredible duo right off the bat that will keep the Ravens playing elite defense for the near future."

PFF says that the Ravens' pick of Starks is "Elite."

"The Ravens let the board fall to them and take the best available player on the PFF Big Board. He has positional versatility that allows Kyle Hamilton to be a movable chess piece. Starks’ 85.6 run-defense grade was one of the best in the draft class, while his 8.1% missed tackle rate was one of the lowest in the class. Starks brings high-level football intelligence and great anticipation to make plays on the ball in coverage."

Chad Reuter of NFL Media gave the pick an A, as well.

"We've seen this movie before," Reuter writes. "Teams pass on a talented nickelback/safety, and the Ravens pounce. They made a similar move when taking Kyle Hamilton three years ago after he slipped in the draft. Starks played all over the field at Georgia, which might have caused some teams to wonder where he would fit best in their defense. Of course, teams also passed on Brian Branch and Cooper DeJean for similar reasons in previous years, and their careers are off to great starts. Starks’ versatility is a strength, not a weakness, as he finds and makes plays on the football."

If Starks lives up to the expectation and praise he is receiving, the Ravens will have the best safety tandem in the NFL.