{"id":38282,"date":"2025-04-04T01:56:56","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T01:56:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38282"},"modified":"2025-04-04T01:56:56","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T01:56:56","slug":"breaking-ravens-linked-to-super-smooth-georgia-safety-in-latest-draft-buzz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38282","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Ravens Linked to ‘Super Smooth’ Georgia Safety in Latest Draft Buzz"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Yet another mock draft has the Baltimore Ravens bolstering their secondary with a safety out of Georgia.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks (24) warms up before the start of the SEC Championship Game against Texas. \/ Joshua l. Jones Athens Banner-Herald USA TODAY NETWORK \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When looking through mock drafts, it becomes clear that many analysts believe the Baltimore Ravens should look to address the safety position early on.<\/p>\n

Bruce Feldman of The Athletic is the latest analyst to suggest such an idea, predicting the Ravens to select Georgia safety Malaki Starks at No. 27 overall\u00a0in his latest mock draft. Feldman is far from the first to suggest this pairing, and he’ll be far from the last as well.<\/p>\n

“Starks\u2019 playmaking ability fits with the Ravens\u2019 DNA,” Feldman wrote. “The 6-1, 197-pound Starks started all three years at Georgia \u2014 no small feat given the talent pool and intricacy of the defensive system. He led Georgia with 77 tackles and ran a stellar 4.5 40-yard dash. His 1.51 10-yard split is even better.”<\/p>\n

\u201c’He\u2019s super smooth,’ an SEC offensive coordinator said. ‘He covers a lot of ground. He is a very savvy player. Really good open-field tackler. Georgia wasn\u2019t that good in the back end (in 2024). I think their issues would\u2019ve been a lot more glaring if he wasn\u2019t back there.’\u201c<\/p>\n

A junior from Jefferson, Ga., Starks is considered one of the top safeties in this class alongside South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori. Over his three year career with the Bulldogs, Starks had 197 tackles, 17 passes defended and six interceptions. He was a consensus All-American in 2023 and a first-team All-American in 2024.<\/p>\n

As for why the Ravens need a safety, that’s quite simple. While Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington form a strong starting duo, the former in particular being\u00a0arguably the best safety in the league, Baltimore’s depth at the position is severely lacking. The only other safeties on the roster are Sanoussi Kane and Beau Brade, the last two players to make the 2024 roster who played almost entirely on special teams as rookies.<\/p>\n

So, adding a third starting-caliber safety seems like it should be a priority for the remainder of the offseason. Not only is it important in itself, but it would allow Hamilton to\u00a0use his trademark versatility, which he didn’t get to in the second half of last season once the depth deteriorated.<\/p>\n

If Starks can make the transition to the NFL smoothly, and all signs suggest he can, he could be the answer the Ravens are looking for.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yet another mock draft has the Baltimore Ravens bolstering their secondary with a safety out of Georgia. Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks (24) warms up before the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":38286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\nBREAKING: Ravens Linked to 'Super Smooth' Georgia Safety in Latest Draft Buzz - 24\/7 News America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=38282\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"BREAKING: Ravens Linked to 'Super Smooth' Georgia Safety in Latest Draft Buzz - 24\/7 News America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Yet another mock draft has the Baltimore Ravens bolstering their secondary with a safety out of Georgia. 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