Baltimore Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith will always be a Georgia Bulldog at heart, so considering another Bulldog is among his team’s top draft targets this year, he’s pretty excited.

Georgia safety Malaki Starks has been one of the most predicted players for the Ravens at No. 27 overall in this week’s draft. Baltimore needs depth at the position behind starters Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington, and Starks is one of the best safeties available.

Of course, it helps that he has a fan in the locker room. When speaking with reporters Monday, Smith gave Starks a ringing endorsement just days before the draft.

“Yes, I think I met [Starks], dapped him up and everything like that, but when those guys are [there] right before into a game and stuff, those guys are focused on what they’re focused on, and that’s getting a ‘W,'” Smith said. “So, I have a great deal of respect for him. I heard a lot of great things about him, another Georgia guy [who’s] really, really mature for his age [and] a really good player. Also, I know [Georgia head coach] Kirby [Smart, defensive coordinator Glenn] Schumann [and] all those guys have a great deal of respect for him and the way he plays the game of football, but I don’t really know him, personally. I’ve watched the games and stuff, how he always shows up on film.

“So, if he does come here, that’ll be a great addition for us. But ‘EDC’ [general manager Eric DeCosta] and those guys up there, man, they know what they’re doing, so I’m sure they’re going to get the best possible fit for the team, as well as a person.”

Starks was a three-year starter for one of the best defenses in college football, so he should be able to make the transition smoothly. There are some concerns about his athleticism, but that was also the case with Hamilton when he was coming out of Notre Dame in 2022, and now he’s arguably the best safety in the league.

If Starks is available at No. 27, the Ravens would make Smith a happy man by selecting him.