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New Mock Draft Has Dolphins Bulking up Secondary

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Coby Leibowitz | Last updated Mar 21, 2025 3:00 PM ET

The Miami Dolphins at the moment may have the weakest safety room in the NFL, and with limited options left in free agency, it looks inevitable that the Dolphins select at least one safety in the 2025 NFL Draft.

In CBS Sports' newest mock draft from Tom Fornelli, they have the Dolphins securing their safety of the future in the first round. This would make the most sense because the Dolphins have good cornerbacks but have no help over the top or in the run game from the safety position.

The mock draft has the Dolphins selecting Malaki Starks, a 6'1 197 pound safety from the University of Georgia. Fornelli mentioned that Starks had a mediocre combine performance but that has not affected his stock. This has been seen before when Baltimore Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton had a weaker combine performance but still ended up being picked in the top half of the first round.

Regardless of your 40-yard dash time, it boils down to whether you can make plays or not and that is exactly what Starks can do. Starks was a three-year starter at Georgia and recorded 198 tackles, 17 pass deflections, and six interceptions during his time.

Starks has great ball skills and is a good tackler. He knows how to make plays on the ball all over the field and his speed and athleticism allow him to be great when the offense takes deep shots. He excels in zone coverage and has a high football IQ.

The only place that Starks struggles is in man coverage and his pursuit angles can be questionable. However, these are very fixable problems once he gets to the NFL if he is willing to put in the work.

The Dolphins right now are set to have Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu as their starting safeties so Starks could come in and compete for one of their jobs right away. He will also get to learn from veterans like Jalen Ramsey and Kader Kohou.

Players like Marcus Williams, Justin Simmons, and Rayshawn Jenkins are still available and they could become valuable targets and teachers for the Dolphins if they do decide to draft Starks or a different young safety.

Starks played against tons of NFL talent at Georgia and has proven that he can compete not only against the best talent but also in the biggest games. A young 21-year-old with talent like him has the sky as the limit and he could end up being the Dolphins starting safety for the next decade.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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