The Baltimore Ravens are high on first round draft choice and former Georgia football safety Malaki Starks. Despite winning the AFC North, the Ravens sputtered in a divisional playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. But the hope is that Starks will be able to come in and help them make a deeper run in the playoffs this season.
While it remains to be seen how much of an impact Starks has, head coach John Harbaugh is loving what he has seen so far from Starks. "I love him," Harbaugh shared via ravenswire.usatoday.com. "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.”
Shortly after being drafted, Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr said, "Not a lot of people can do what Malaki Starks can do on a football field." Now that Starks is at the Ravens OTAs this past week, Orr sees Starks fitting in with the Raven's system and veterans in the secondary, "I've already seen the impact that 'K-Ham' (Kyle Hamilton) has had on Malaki with his communication, his knowledge, and just his football savvy."
Starks isn't resting on his draft choice status to carry him to a starting position, by any means. During OTAs, he has put in extra time studying, reviewing film, pursuing coaches with plenty of questions.
"The more you learn, the faster you can play," Starks said in an interview following a recent session. "You can be free, and I think I just want to keep expanding my knowledge and keep diving into the system."
He's diving into a system centered on a 3-4 scheme that focuses on a secondary that can adapt and has defensive players utilized in various roles, and the good news is that Starks seems well suited to shift to free safety or strong safety as the defense needs.
The Ravens' Super Bowl run will depend on their defense.
With talent like Hamilton, along with Nate Wiggins and Marlon Humphrey at the cornerback slots, the Baltimore secondary is poised to strengthen up a defense as they make another run at the Super Bowl this season.
From something as simple as orienting himself to the different layout of an NFL field, to the complexity of breaking down film the coaches send him on a daily basis, Starks isn't coasting, but preparing to contribute, and preparing to step into leadership with the Ravens as he continues his NFL career.