The Baltimore Ravens might have the NFL’s best pound-for-pound defensive player in safety Kyle Hamilton — a perennial NFL All-Pro who has a shot to end up in the Pro Football Hall of Fame once his career is over.
If Hamilton’s running mate and 2025 1st-round pick Malaki Starks could become elite, it might mean the Ravens finally finding their way back to a Super Bowl under 1st-year head coach Jesse Minter in 2026.
NFL.com’s Kevin Patra believes Starks can make the leap in his 2nd season and put him at the top of his list of players he believes could earn their 1st career Pro Bowl nods in 2026.
“Perhaps no player in Baltimore will benefit more from the hire of Jesse Minter than Malaki Starks,” Patra wrote. “The second-year safety displayed versatility that should be used even more heavily under the first-year head coach. Starks gained a wealth of experience during his rookie season, positioning him to make a massive Year 2 leap under a defensive architect (in Minter).”
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Starks Became Plug-And-Play Starter as Rookie
As expected, Starks was a plug-and-play starter as a rookie and looked like the kind of player who could be 1 of the NFL’s best at his position in the near future.
Starks, 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds, played all 17 games with 15 starts in 2025 alongside Hamilton and filled up the stat sheet in a way that would melt the heart of even the most cold-blooded analytics nerd — 84 tackles, 2 interceptions, 4 pass deflections, 1 TFL, and 1 forced fumble.
They weren’t empty stats, either. Pro Football Focus gave Starks a 67.9 overall grade, which ranked him 36th out of 98 eligible NFL safeties.
Starks Key Part of College Football Dynasty
At Georgia, Starks won a College Football Playoff national championship as a true freshman starter in 2022 then was a 2-time All-American and 2-time All-SEC pick in 2023 and 2024 before leaving school early for the NFL Draft.
“Three-year starter with reams of high-leverage games on his résumé,” NFL draft analyst Lanc Zierlein wrote in his 2025 pre-draft evaluation. “Starks is a versatile safety with the size and athleticism to eliminate contested catches and the speed and ball skills to shine when the action travels deep.”
Bleacher Report’s Cory Giddings compared Starks to Atlanta Falcons safety and 2-time NFL All-Pro Jessie Bates in his pre-draft evaluation.
“Starks’ overall skill set and football IQ give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker,” Giddings wrote. “With the ability to contribute from day one, Starks is poised to become a key player in any NFL secondary, offering the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber safety.”
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