At the beginning of last season, the Baltimore Ravens defense looked like it could be the team’s weak point. That’s a far cry away from what lifelong Ravens fans remember their team as.

The team averaged 7.4 penalties per game as a whole, the fourth-worst in the NFL.

Baltimore was able to rectify its defense slightly down the stretch, but big plays were still a problem. They allowed 58 completions for 20-plus yards last season, per ESPN.com.

With their first-round pick in last year’s draft, the Ravens selected cornerback Nate Wiggins out of Clemson with the No. 30 selection. Wiggins finished eight PBUs, 15th among corners, according to PFF.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta was quite impressed with Wiggins’ rookie campaign.

“He’s got a very, very bright future, because he can do some things that other guys can’t do,” DeCosta said per BaltimoreRavens.com. “Eventually, how far he develops is really going to be up to him. His future is unlimited.”

In a mock draft by ESPN’s Field Yates, he has Baltimore selecting safety Malaki Starks out of Georgia at No. 27 overall.

It’s easy to see why he would be a good fit in Baltimore. He’s got a nose for the ball, whether it’s in the air or on the ground. He doesn’t shy away from the run game and seemingly gets around offensive linemen before they even register he’s there.

“If we can add another safety, obviously, it would be really good for us,” DeCosta said. “It gives us that multiplicity on defense and the ability to do a lot of different things. Kyle becomes that sort of [Swiss Army] knife again.”

After the benching of Marcus Williams down the stretch and the release of Eddie Jackson midseason, Starks is a plug-and-play guy right away on the back end of a Baltimore defense that couldn’t get much worse last season.

A three-year starter at Georgia, he’s played in his fair share of big games. Sometimes the knock on Georgia players coming out is having the talent around them they did, but this Ravens defense doesn’t lack talent, allowing Starks to fit in seamlessly.