Ravens Remain Confident in Underwhelming Top Draft Picks

"Besides that, he's downed the football," Orr said. "The thing that you appreciate about him is any mistake that he makes, he's not going to make the same one again. He's one of the hardest workers on the team as rookie, which is impressive."

While his tackling has gotten better, there have still been instances where he's taken bad angles and been late or hesitant to get to a certain spot that have led to big plays through the air and on the ground. Nevertheless, Orr's faith in the rookie defensive back hasn't waivered and he believes the best is yet to come.

"We just continue to encourage him to continue to do the right thing, continue to be in the right spots, and his plays are going to happen," Orr said. "He's going to make big-time, game-changing plays for us throughout this year, so I'm excited about him. He's done a heck of a job. If he wasn't doing what he was supposed to do, he wouldn't be out there. I have full trust in Malaki and what he's bringing to the table."

Orr isn't the only defensive coach who feels like Starks is trending in the right direction in his development curve. Senior defensive assistant and secondary coach Chuck Pagano not only believes the rookie's arrow is pointing "up" but that he has "exceeded everybody's expectations" in the organization given everything that has been put on his play as an every-down player.

"He's one of our hardest workers, smartest dudes [and] prepares like no other," Pagano said. "Again, he's mature beyond his years. There's a lot on his plate; he's accepted that challenge. He's never backed down from any challenge, and like anybody else on this team, anybody else playing back there, those are hard jobs back there, especially outside. There are going to be some tough downs. The great thing about Malaki is he doesn't make the same mistake twice. It'll get corrected from last week and the week before. He doesn't make the same mistake twice, and he's able to move on past it. He doesn't dwell on that."

As for Green, he went from playing sparsely in the season opener to being on the field for over 60% of the team's total defensive snaps in each of the last five games. He often out-snapped established starters such as Pro Bowler Kyle Van Noy and former first-rounder Odafe Oweh, both of whom are coming off career years as pass rushers.

Yet, in six games, including one start, he has recorded just 2 tackles for loss, 2 quarterback hits and no sacks although he's gotten close a few times. Even though he was on the field for a season-high 77.4% of the Ravens' total defensive snaps in their Week 6 loss to the Los Angeles Rams, he nor any of the other edge defenders recorded a single pressure according to Pro Football Focus.

"First thing, I'm proud of Mike," pass rush coach Chuck Smith said. "Mike's not like the normal rookie [like] a lot of the guys who came out in his first couple rounds [of the draft]. Mike's playing [like] Mike's a starter. Mike's playing 'big boy' ball. He's playing first-and-10. He's playing against teams – obviously, the five teams we've played that are playoff teams."

Although his pass rush production has been lacking, Green has consistently proved his pre-draft detractors wrong by setting the edge against the run.

"On the run, I think Mike has really answered the bell," Smith said. "A lot of people talked about Mike's inability to stop the run. Mike Green is a Raven. You look at some of the film from this past weekend; Mike Green is putting hands on guys, and it's a fight, and he's learning."

Green's uptick in usage and the lack of consistency by Oweh led to the former first-rounder being traded two weeks ago. With the broken foot suffered by budding third-year breakout Tavius Robinson in Week 6, the Ravens are expected to make an outside addition at the position at some point to bolster their numbers but will be leaning on Green even more moving forward regardless.

"I think Mike Green is going to continue to work hard. He gets after it," Smith said. "He takes coaching, and I think his time will come, and the other guys' [time] will, too. He will continue to keep working. He's working on his different techniques, understanding protections and all the things that goes with being a good rusher as well as a complete player.

"Right now, he's doing really well on the run, and he's continued to work hard and develop as a pass rusher. [He] knows his days will come, his sacks will come, and at the end of the year, we'll be happy."

The Ravens are going to need both Starks and Green to break through in the second half of the season coming out of the bye week to aid a defense that showed some promising signs of progress against the Rams. However, it is still tied for second-fewest takeaways with just 3 and tied for the fewest sacks with just 8 entering this upcoming week's action.