Malaki Starks' education at OTAs has included staying after practice, watching extra film, and sideline discussions with teammates and coaches.
Starks is going the extra mile because the first-round safety from Georgia is willing to pay the price to be everything the Ravens expect and more.
"The more you learn, the faster you can play," Starks said following Monday's practice. "You can be free, and I think I just want to keep expanding my knowledge and keep diving into the system."
Starks made a similar transition at Georgia, where he started as a true freshman and helped the Bulldogs win the national championship in 2022. Helping the Ravens win a Super Bowl in his rookie season would be quite an encore for Starks, but that's his goal, and he's embracing that challenge.
His versatility is a major reason the Ravens wanted him. They envision Starks joining safety Kyle Hamilton and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins in an elite secondary that can morph into different looks at any time.
"I like being anywhere, if I'm being honest," Starks said. "We talk about a positionless defense. I've been playing a lot of free safety, but I've also been the other safety, and I got some reps at dime, as well, so just being able to move around."
To take full advantage of his skillset, Starks must master the defense to avoid making coverage mistakes in a secondary with so many moving parts. At 5 a.m. before Monday's practice, Starks said he received a text message from Senior Defensive Assistant/Secondary Coach Chuck Pagano, who sent film from last week's practice.
"I woke up, and I was like, 'OK, cool. That makes sense,'" Starks said. "That's how I want to be coached. I received that very well, so just being able to have somebody like that in my corner, it's a blessing."
Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr has been impressed by Starks' willingness to engage in conversation and communicate on the field.
"I've already seen the impact that 'K-Ham' has had on Malaki with his communication, his knowledge, and just his football savvy," Orr said. "I have a great vision for those guys. I think they're going to help us out and play great football for us."
After early-season struggles in 2024, Baltimore's pass defense took a major leap when Ar'Darius Washington became a starter and Hamilton stayed primarily at free safety. Unfortunately, Washington suffered a torn Achilles last month that is expected to keep him out of action until at least November.
That makes Starks' addition to the secondary even more important, but he's not feeling extra pressure. He loves football and is confident he can be an immediate playmaker on a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
Starks said one of the biggest adjustments he's had to make so far is the different spacing of the hash marks. That has changed his "landmarks" when dropping into coverage.
"The field is completely different than college," Starks said. "When I first got here, they would say if my job was at the numbers, I was going to the college numbers, but I was missing the league numbers. So, just being able to work on that, stay after practice and just watch a lot of tape and just kind of reprogram myself into [the mindset of], 'This is where I'm supposed to be at,' has been the challenging thing, but it is getting a lot better with all the help, and all the reps that I'm getting is huge in my development."
He's looking forward to moments like Week 1 in September, when the things he's learning now will be put to the test by Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills' offense. Every day, Starks says he's learning something new, and he's loving the process.
Starks said he's been particularly watching linebacker Roquan Smith, the leader of the Ravens' defense, to take pieces of his game and leadership and "put it into my own mold."
"I've been watching a lot of the older vets as well, not just from my room, but everywhere," Starks said. "Just seeing how they disengage from a block, how they handle this situation when it comes up. Every place is a little different, so just being able to watch guys and take what I already know and figure it out as I go, that's what I've been doing.
"The first thing is don't bite off more than you can chew. So, just really realizing my place in this defense, in this organization, and you have to know what to do before you can start demanding stuff from other people. I think as a leader, you shouldn't ask somebody to do something that you wouldn't do yourself, and then just also, when I got to the University of Georgia, I had to learn how to follow the right people before I could lead."
A second-year wide receiver made his case for more offensive snaps, and two free agent signees participated in a Ravens practice for the first time.
K Tyler Loop
Loop hasn't kicked every day at OTAs, but his showing has been impressive. The Ravens' sixth-round pick made 6 of 6 field-goal attempts Friday, including a 60-yarder. Loop has answered the bell thus far.
S Malaki Starks
Starks came away with an interception toward the end of Friday's practice and continued to get valuable reps throughout the week. As noted by Defensive Coordinator Zach Orr, the Ravens' first-round selection has begun to build chemistry with Kyle Hamilton in hopes of becoming one of the league's premier safety duos.
NT John Jenkins
Jenkins put on a Ravens helmet for the first time this week. Listed at 6-foot-3 and 327 pounds, the 35-year-old wasn't hard to spot on the practice field. He looked the part to be Baltimore's next big-bodied, run-stuffing defensive tackle to replace the retired Michael Pierce.
CB/S Jalyn Armour-Davis
Armour-Davis saw snaps at safety throughout the week. He batted the ball down near the line of scrimmage Friday, and Orr called him the smartest player in the defensive back room.
WR Devontez Walker
With the Ravens' top three wide receivers absent from Friday's practice, Walker stepped up to the plate. He hauled in several passes, including over-the-shoulder and toe-tapping TD catches Friday. That performance came after he already flashed in the first two practices of the week.
FB Lucas Scott
Scott, a former offensive lineman at Army, had a few catches throughout the week. Patrick Ricard signed a one-year deal to stay in Baltimore this offseason, and Scott has been working alongside him to learn the ropes of the fullback position.
CB Reuben Lowery
An undrafted free agent, Lowery was a ballhawk in the last two practices of the week. He made a bobbling interception in the back of the end zone Thursday and then came up with another interception Friday.
QB Cooper Rush
With Lamar Jackson not present during Week 2 of OTAs, Rush received plenty of snaps as he continued to get his feet wet in the Ravens' offense. Rush's accuracy was on display, fitting balls into tight windows, especially during Friday's red zone drills.
RB Keaton Mitchell
It didn't take long to notice how quick Mitchell looked during the first week of OTAs, and Week 2 was no different. The former undrafted free agent has fully recovered from his knee injury and wants to be the Ravens' primary kick returner. After recently hitting 22.4 miles per hour during sprint sessions, he certainly has the speed to do so.
CB Nate Wiggins
Wiggins has added 10 pounds this offseason and has been present at every day of OTAs. Now up to 185 pounds, the former first-round selection had an interception and a pass breakup in Friday's practice.
