Ravens safety Malaki Starks receives a B in an 2025 NFL draft regrade

[ASFN Admin]

Past performances are more of a guide than an indicator of future successes. Nothing is promised. Thankfully, the Baltimore Ravens are a well-run organization. They certainly know what they are doing. Following Ozzie Newsome's phenomenal run as general manager, the torch has been passed to Eric DeCosta. He's done well in the NFL Draft, and there's no reason to believe that he won't do so again.

His first-round draft selections read like a who's who of young NFL stars: Marquise Brown, Patrick Queen, Rashod Bateman, Kyle Hamilton, Tyler Linderbaum, Zay Flowers, Nate Wiggins, and Malaki Starks. Recently, in a 2025 NFL Draft regrade, the rave reviews for Starks continued.

Malaki Starks earns a passing grade.​

Three of the Ravens' last five first-round draft choices, including two in 2022, were spent on talented defensive backs. Recently, Sports Illustrated regraded every draftee taken on night one of the 2025 NFL Draft. Starks, the 27th player taken, was given a 'B'.

"The Ravens found a quality starter last year in safety Malaki Starks. The Georgia product started 15 games as a rookie, tallying 84 total tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups. In coverage, Starks allowed opposing passers to complete 60.9% of their passes against him for 452 yards and two touchdowns and a 90.1 rating..."

Starks, the first safety taken last April, has a chance to be one of the best. Some of his peers got off to faster starts, but there's no reason for Ravens fans to worry.

"Safeties drafted after Starks, such as Nick Emmanwori and Xavier Watts, had better rookie seasons, but look for Starks to take a step forward under new head coach Jesse Minter, who did great work with the Chargers’ young secondary players. Under Minter’s leadership, the Chargers finished fifth in total yards and passing yards allowed per game in 2025."

The Baltimore Ravens didn't draft Malaki Starks to win a rookie-of-the-year award or a popularity contest. They drafted him to be a long-term pillar, and he will be. With Jesse Minter now overseeing the defense, the expectation isn't just steady production. It's growth, refinement, and eventually dominance. If history is any indication, Baltimore will get exactly that, and this 'B' grade may look far too modest by the time the 2026 season reaches its conclusion. Rest assured. This was a solid bang-for-buck choice, and Starks is going to be good for a long time.

This article originally appeared on Ravens Wire: Malaki Starks earns a B in Sports Illustrated's 2025 draft regrade

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