Malaki Starks Fantasy Stats

ESPN's Jamison Hensley writes that Baltimore Ravens rookie first-round safety Malaki Starks' maturity should make him an immediate impact player in his first year in the NFL. "You throw a situation at him, and he knows," head coach John Harbaugh said. "He's been studying and comes prepared. I've never seen him make a real mistake yet. He's very much a pro, probably way advanced beyond his years." Despite playing with the first-team defense from the first day of spring practices, Starks hasn't blinked. He also made a strong first impression by organizing walk-throughs at the team hotel during rookie minicamp. Ar'Darius Washington's torn Achilles definitely sets Starks up to have a big role in 2025 alongside Kyle Hamilton. Despite not showing elite athleticism at the combine, he has the ability to become fantasy relevant in IDP leagues sooner than later.

Per the team, the Baltimore Ravens have signed rookie defensive back Malaki Starks to a four-year, $16.57 million contract. The Ravens finally inked their No. 27 overall pick. Starks is set to immediately impact Baltimore's defensive backfield alongside All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton and brings another versatile asset to their backend. He was a five-star prospect out of high school, ranked in the top 15 nationally, and garnered Second-team All-SEC honors in his final season with Georgia. There are questions about the 21-year-old's consistency, but he'll be surrounded by a crew of solid DBs that should help to mitigate any early issues he may run into.

The Baltimore Ravens selected Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft on Thursday night. Starks will play center field at the safety position for Baltimore, a big position of need for the Ravens entering this year's draft. He has a very high football character and IQ and was named as a second-team All SEC player while leading the Bulldogs with 77 tackles and started all 14 games in 2024. Starks was a three-year starter for Georgia and plenty of size, athleticism, speed and ball skills to excel right away next to Kyle Hamilton in Baltimore's secondary. He doesn't play much near the line of scrimmage, but Starks should be a starter for the Ravens sooner than later. Starks has played much better in zone defense than when he's asked to cover receivers in man-to-man coverage.