Malaki Starks was on the field more than any other Raven in 2025, leading the team in snaps played with 1,065. He came away with interceptions in back-to-back games against the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings and was the NFL's highest-graded safety over those two weeks.
That doesn't mean Starks was satisfied with his rookie season. Far from it. For Starks, just being good is never good enough.
"How I played last season was okay, but it's not the standard I set for myself," Starks said at the end of the first week of Organized Team Activities. "I know I can play at a higher level. There were plays I should've made and didn't. This season, I'm expecting to make them."
Some pundits are already predicting a breakout season for Starks, the first safety selected in the 2025 draft at No. 27 overall. Starks hears the buzz surrounding him, but he's not chasing individual accolades.
Winning motivates Starks, and he displays it every day. Starks puts more expectations on himself than anyone else does.
He's the guy who organized walkthroughs for the rookies at the team's hotel during training camp last season. He asked hotel staff if he could use an empty ballroom to rehearse plays, and the group of players that Starks led got larger every day. He's often one of the last players to leave the field during OTAs, putting in extra work with teammates. He loves studying film, looking for any edge he can get as a player.
Starks is a natural leader, but he's still only 22 years old. He's a work in progress and determined to maximize his talents. Few, if any, teammates outwork him, and he arrived at OTAs with added muscle since the end of last season.
"I'm around 214 pounds, and I think I ended last season around 202," Starks said. "I'm not sure I'm going to play at this weight when the season starts. I want to be able to move quickly. But right now, I feel good, definitely stronger."
Starks had 84 tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended last season. He played with poise and consistency, rarely giving up big plays as a backend defender.
However, Starks wasn't the impact player he was at Georgia when he had six interceptions in three seasons, including an acrobatic pick in his first college game against Oregon in 2022.
Starks helped his team to a national championship as a freshman, stepping into the Bulldogs' starting lineup immediately and playing like a veteran. He wanted a similar transition into the NFL, but it was more challenging at the next level for many reasons.
"I don't think enough is said about entire draft process and how much of a toll that takes on you coming into the league," Starks said. "You don't know what team's going to take you until draft night. After that, right away you're in a new place, part of a new team with new teammates and coaches. It's all different and it happens quickly. I feel so much more settled, more comfortable than I did at this time last year."
New Head Coach Jesse Minter is expected to deploy three safeties like he often did as the Los Angeles Chargers' defensive coordinator. The Ravens' safety trio of Starks, All-Pro Kyle Hamilton and newly acquired Jalynn Hawkins could become the NFL's best.
Starks is already seeing the potential to make more plays on the ball than he did last season as the Ravens morph into different coverages from one snap to the next.
"I think this defense is going to take advantage of everyone's strengths," Starks said. "Hawk is a great safety, I'm learning so much from him already. Kyle, we all know the things he can do and how he can line up in so many different places."
The Lounge #926: Jaylinn Hawkins Talks About Why He Chose the Ravens, Betting on Himself, His Fit in Jesse Minter's Defense & More
New Ravens safety Jaylinn Hawkins joins team insiders Ryan Mink and Clifton Brown to talk about how he landed in Baltimore during free agency, what he'll bring to the defense, how a Super Bowl loss in New England shaped him, his fit with Kyle Hamilton and Malaki Starks, and much more.
The Ravens' 2025 season ended too soon for their liking, and Starks still remembers how he felt leaving the field after a season-ending loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. He wasn't ready for his rookie season to end, but he's ready for the 2026 season to begin.
"We're building something, and I like the way it looks and feels," Starks said. "Call it a breakout season or whatever you want to call it. But I know I'm going to play closer to what I expect."
