Malaki Starks Breaks Down Film, Shows Great Football IQ | Baltimore Ravens

Malaki Starks Breaks Down Film, Shows Great Football IQ | Baltimore Ravens

Ravens fans, I’m so excited today to be joined by Malachi Starks, our first round pick. So, Malachi, you’ve been here in Baltimore today and as you’ve been making your way around this building, there’s a lot of history here. You look up on the walls and you see some of the great players who have been here before you. What has that meant to you as you look around and you embrace that history? It’s huge. Uh something that I’ve learned is to really respect the ones who came before you. Uh so just to be at a place like this who has that type of history, a lot of elite guys uh that leave a a huge legacy uh behind is huge for me. You’ve had a chance to meet with some of the coaches during your time here. What have those early conversations been like? Excited. Um you can just feel the passion uh that they have for ball and so do I. So just being able to get here and learn um and really just, you know, get ready to work. I’m ready to go to work, so I’m excited. you know, one of the coaches, he’s not going to be coaching you directly, but yet, you know, is Todd Monk, of course, coach of the offensive side of the ball. He was there your your freshman season at Georgia where you guys won a national championship together. Did you guys have any good, uh, did you reminisce at all? Were you not today? Uh, just a little bit. Um, man, uh, Mon is great. Uh, he was really big in my development as well, just kind of learning ball at an early age. So, I’m excited to be back with him. Really? So, you you guys know each other. I mean, you obviously came coaching the offensive side of the ball, but you guys got to know each other during your time in Georgia. That’s great. Well, as you uh you talked in your press conference about how you’re going to wear number 24. What does that mean to you to be wearing that number? It’s huge. It’s something that um you know, I dreamed of as a kid. You know, when you get to it, you don’t really know what you’re going to get. You don’t get to choose most of the time. Uh but just being able to, you know, still rep that. Uh it means everything to me. You Malachi, the Ravens talked about wanting to add players who fit this team, high IQ players, and everyone you talk to says that’s exactly what you are. How much pride do you take in that aspect, the mental side of your game? A lot. I think when you look at it, the game of football is is more mental than it is physical. Uh, but just being able to really dive into my three years at the University of Georgia and just really learn football um prepared me for where I am today. Um, and then coming to a place like this where a lot of elite guys who have a lot of knowledge about ball, um, you know, I’m I’m ready to learn from them and, uh, just be a sponge. Along those lines, the Ravens raved about your combine interview with them. Said it was one of the best they’d ever seen. What did you remember from that interview? Did you come out of that feeling the same way they did? Um, yeah. Uh, I I did. Um, I was I was a little nervous. I remember uh remember the first thing I sat down and coach asked me uh cuz I played quarterback in high school. when he asked me if I um if I could beat out Lamar and I told him nobody could beat out Lamar Jackson. Let’s be serious. Uh but um no, it it was fun. Um and just like the passion um that they have about football, I keep talking about it, but uh you know, so do I and I think you can just feel it. Um and I think it’s a really good fit for me. So one of the things that they talked about with your your combine interview was just how well you knew you knew ball. So I’m going to put you on the spot here. All right. So I got some plays here. Okay. Cool. from your college from your college career. And I want you to take a look at some of these and break down what you’re seeing on these plays. You probably know this one right off the bat when you see what this play is. So, this was a big concept for them. This is trips. They uh have the tight end at three. Um so, they only have so many concepts they run from the tight end at three uh with speed in the slot. Uh and we actually worked this all week uh for it being a big concept. So, my corner was actually supposed to give me an under call. So, I was supposed to end up on one, he would end up on two. Um, he didn’t, but I saw him coming vertical. He tried to stem me. Uh, so I just knowing that I have help from my We’re in cover three, so I have hook droppers and I have my middle field safety. So, just being able to use that and stay outside leverage. Um, and then just kind of kind of playing with the defense. Um, I make it seem like he he’s beating me. Uh, I get a I get a good arm bar, so I’m able to turn around to find the ball and, you know, once the ball’s in the air, it’s just about being comfortable. And I think I’m really good at being comfortable with the ball in the air. Well, you talk about making the play on the ball. I mean, you you you kind of just you barely even mentioned that, but you coming down with that, that was no easy catch there. You covered all the stuff leading up to it and then you just went up and got the ball when it’s in the air. Uh that’s the job. Um at the end of the day, that’s that’s that’s the job. Um but, uh you know, with my with my ability to play the ball in the air, going back to my experience of playing offense and just being comfortable um in those positions, uh you know, it’s it’s just natural. Yeah. Swipe swipe over. There’s another one here. You probably remember this play against Oregon. Yeah. So, uh, this is, um, this is my first game. This is like my fourth play in the game. Uh, so there there your fourth play in college. Yeah. Ever. Ever. Um, and you did this. Yes, sir. Slight bobble with the snap, but Nick plenty of time throwing his first deep ball for seven. McGee and it’s intercepted. Picked off at the 8 yd line by Malachi Starks, a true freshman. uh they’re in trips a lot of times when they get formation and a boundary they motion out uh to see where you’re in and um most of the time try to get a matchup on a backer uh with a route receiver or a slot running back to the field uh being able to lose leverage uh but they didn’t so they stayed in it but with two being on the ball I’m knowing that he’s going vertical um but I’m also knowing that I’m losing um Javon Bullet who’s my help he’s not able to get a reroute so I know I got to stay inside vertical um so when he gets to me just being able to kind of do the same thing just kind of arm bar. Um I’m in phase so I’m able to look and then whenever you look you want to look and lean so you don’t lose a receiver. Um and then at that point it’s just you know making a play on the ball like we talked about earlier. That’s great. I got one more for you. This is your this shows your versatility here and versatility is something that you have talked about a lot and something that’s an element of your game. We showed the pick production. This is you coming downhill and making a play in the run game. Yeah. Um I think um just just being aware of things. You know, the line the line’s pretty low. Um so I know it’s probably going to be, you know, either heavy play action or um heavy run. So just knowing that uh like I’m communicating with my safety that I’m coming down now, so my fit is off the tight end. Uh so once he comes back in the core, he doesn’t leak out. Um I’m just basically replacing gap to gap. So I’m I’m bumping back to gap to gap. uh keeping the ball on my inside shoulder, utilizing my middle field safety, and then uh really just making a play. Uh just using leverage and flying to the ball. I think that’s a really big thing about football is flying to the ball and you know, having a party at the ball and that’s something that we were really good at. Well, I can see how you at your interview with the combine, man. You know, ball. Yes, sir. The last thing I’ll show you here, the last one is it’s not a play, but this is the personality here. This is the the energy and the leadership and you can see your teammates rallying around you here on this play. What what do you think when you look at this excitement? Um I think you know that that’s what the that’s what the game is about. You know, you put all this work in to you know, at least on the defensive side, you put all in this work to, you know, take the ball away and, you know, celebrate the defense and um you know, we like to say they come in bunches. Uh and somebody else got a turnover not too long after this as well. So just being able to have all that hard work pay off. Um and just enjoy the moment. Football is supposed to be fun. Um, so just really enjoy that with your your team and the brothers that you go to war with every week um, week in and week out basis. Well, you say football is going to be fun. I think there’s a lot of Ravens fans who are going to have a lot of fun watching you play ball. Going to be a great fit on this defense. And what’s what has you most excited about putting on that Ravens uniform and taking the field at MT Bank Stadium? I think just a new opportunity uh just to go out there and um compete, prove myself wrong, and uh earn the respect of the people who drafted me, but also the guys in the locker room as well. Um I think I’m ready to come to work and um I’m ready to learn more about ball. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Congratulations. Thank you.

Ravens first-round pick Malaki Starks looked back through some of his iconic college football plays to explain his approach, and what he saw on each play.

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