ESPN Analysts Name Malaki Starks Their Favorite Pick in Entire Draft
Multiple ESPN pundits said safety Malaki Starks to the Ravens at No. 27 overall was their favorite pick in the entire draft.
“Baltimore has built much of its recent success on being strong up the middle of the defense, and Starks should be a perfect fit with that plan,” Dan Graziano wrote. “The Ravens had their eye on Starks pre-draft, thinking his center-field abilities would allow them to play Kyle Hamilton closer to the line of scrimmage more often. The pair should complement each other well.”
Matt Bowen wrote: “With Starks playing opposite Kyle Hamilton in the secondary, the Ravens have two interchangeable safeties to disguise coverages and change the picture post-snap,” Bowen wrote. “Starks is a versatile defender with playmaking ability, capable of impacting multiple levels of the field as a rookie.”
ESPN’s Mina Kimes expressed a similar sentiment about why the Georgia star was the ideal pick for the Ravens.
“I love the pick for who he is as a player and what he brings, but I also love it because of what he does for Kyle Hamilton, who I think is one of the best safeties in the NFL,” Kimes said.