Georgia football has been having an amazing first round in the 2025 NFL Draft as they’ve seen two Bulldogs selected already. Mykel Williams was the first Bulldog drafted as the San Francisco 49ers took him with the 11th overall pick. This was followed by Jalon Walker being taken by the Atlanta Falcons just four picks later.
But there was one more Bulldog who most thought would be a first round pick, and that was safety Malaki Starks.
The first round of the draft was quickly coming to an end, and Starks was yet to hear his name called. That however changed as the Baltimore Ravens selected Starks with the 27th overall pick in the draft.
Malaki Starks Georgia career in review
It isn't too often that a defensive player enters college with as much hype as Starks did, but that's what happens when you have a player who is the No. 4 recruit in the country and the top ranked ATH, according to 247Sports. Those rankings however come with a lot of expectations, which is something he more than lived up to.
During Starks' three-year career with Georgia, he racked up 198 total tackles, including a season high 77 this past season. He also recorded six interceptions throughout his career, showing that he has impressive ball skills in the secondary.
But the highlight of his career came in his sophomore season where he ws a consensus First Team All-American. No need to worry though, because this past season as a junior he was either named to the First or Second team according to almost every publication.
What does Malaki Starks bring to the Baltimore Ravens?
One of the best aspects of Starks' game is his versatility as he is able to defend any receiver and read their routes extremely well. On top of that, he also has the speed to keep up with the fastest receivers in the league to help prevent offenses from connecting on deep balls.
Starks also proved during his college career to be someone that will always show up in the biggest games, instead of just being a stat merchant against the bad teams on Georgia's schedule.
So Starks’ selection by the Ravens brings Georgia’s first round story to an end. And what a successful story it was as UGA had three defenders continue their history run in the NFL Draft that’s been going on for years now.