Malaki Starks will most likely be one of the first two safeties taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Georgia football standout totaled 197 tackles, six interceptions, and 17 passes defended in his collegiate career.
5 Potential NFL Draft Landing Spots for Malaki Starks
The 2024 season was another good one for Starks, who earned second-team All-America honors and was a Jim Thorpe Award finalist. Most projections have him going in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, so let’s look at some potential landing spots.
Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals invested more than $500 million in their top three offensive players. It stands to reason they will need to build their defense through the draft, and safety is certainly a need.
Last season, the Bengals’ defense was middling at best. They weren’t particularly strong against the pass or the run. Starks would bring talent, intelligence and versatility to the Bengals’ secondary, and they would be better for it.
Baltimore Ravens
We stay in the AFC North, where reports say Starks would be a “dream” pick for the Ravens. Source
The Ravens had a top-10 defense in yards and points allowed in 2024, but adding Starks could help them reach the top five. Pairing a versatile, high-IQ player like Starks with Kyle Hamilton, who has had back-to-back All-Pro seasons, would make the Ravens even tougher to move the ball against.
Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks are coming off a 10-7 season but have several holes to fill ahead of 2025. Their secondary needs addressing, and Starks’ versatility would be a welcome addition.
He’s a smart, instinctive player who flies to the ball in a way that recalls some of the great safeties in Seattle’s past. With work to do on the back end of their defense, Starks would be a logical fit.
Minnesota Vikings
If Starks is available at pick No. 24, the Vikings would be getting incredible value. He’s one of the best athletes in this draft and can be impactful all over the defense. Getting that kind of player late on day one is rare.
Minnesota’s pass defense ranked in the bottom five last season, so Starks would be an immediate upgrade.
Detroit Lions
The Lions were even worse than the Vikings against the pass in 2024. They allowed the third-most passing yards and ranked 15th in yards per rush attempt. Defense was their Achilles’ heel last season.
After back-to-back strong years, 2025 should be about winning now. If Starks is still available at pick No. 28, he would be hard to pass up. He’s a plug-and-play, day-one impact type of player, and the Lions badly need help on that side of the ball.
KEEP READING: Top 10 Safeties in the 2025 NFL Draft
Whoever ends up taking Malaki Starks will be getting a versatile defender with future All-Pro potential. Expect him to make an impact this season.
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