Baltimore Ravens' rookie safety Malaki Starks is joining a defensive unit that includes fellow former first-rounders and All-Pro selections at all three levels.
Since being selected No. 27 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, the former SEC star has talked about how much he is looking forward to playing alongside and absorbing knowledge from the likes of Kyle Hamilton, Roquan Smith, and Marlon Humphrey as a member of the defense. In a recent interview with RG, he talked about how equally hyped he is to learn from going up against a two-time league MVP-winning quarterback in Lamar Jackson.
“I think it’s an awesome opportunity, just to be able to learn from him,” Starks said. “A lot of people think when you play defense, you just learn from the defensive players on your side. But you also learn from offense as well. Just being able to pick his brain and to see how he thinks, his progressions."
Starks drummed up some buzz on social media and made some headlines for comments he made during an appearance on SportsCenter when he stated that the quarterback he is most looking forward to recording an interception against is 2024 league MVP Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. However, he believes that Jackson is the "best quarterback in the league” and going up against him in practice will help in his development.
One of the best attributes of Starks' skillset is his versatility to play multiple positions and perform a myriad of duties in coverage, including playing man and lining up in the slot. When asked which pass catchers he is most excited to go up against in the NFL, he couldn't land on one particular tight end or wide receiver.
“All of them if I’m being honest,” Starks said. “The league is filled with great talent, and I’ve been wanting to be here my whole life, so I’m just excited to showcase my skills.”
The Ravens just held and wrapped up their rookie minicamp earlier this week. Starks and the rest of the team's rookie draft class, undrafted free agent signings and tryouts got their first experience of what it's like to be a professional.
“We got a little taste of what it’s going to be like," Starks said. "We had a really good group of guys that came in. Everybody from the drafted to the signed people to tryouts. We had a really good group of guys. They came out and attacked it every day. We’re all excited to come back.”
Going from the collegiate level to the NFL is a big adjustment for all rookies, but especially for those who play in the secondary, who have to get used to stricter rules about how physical they can be in coverage as well as playing in tighter field dimensions.
"It’s really re-learning everything, basically starting from zero, and just kind of taking knowledge that I had at Georgia, but just expanding it from a league perspective with all the rules,” Starks said.
Thankfully, Starks' new head coach, John Harbaugh, has a strong background when it comes to coaching the secondary as a former defensive backs coach in addition to being a longtime special teams coordinator. The two had already established a strong bond and rapport dating back to the pre-draft process when Starks recorded a rare perfect score during his interview with the team at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine.
“I love him,” Starks said. “He’s a great leader, and just his sense of calmness that he brings to the organization — he’s so competitive, he’s so controlled, everything is so controlled. He has a plan for everything. It’s really cool just to see that process of going about things.”
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