Malaki Starks, Georgia : 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Starks was a four-star recruit from Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ga. in the class of 2022
Georgia’s Malaki Starks entered the 2024 season as a perceived blue chip prospect. He didn’t quite live up to that projection but still solidified his position as a top 20 player in the 2025 NFL Draft. Positional value could cause Starks to slide into the second round, but that would automatically make him one of the best value picks in the class.
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Malaki Starks, S Georgia: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Junior safety from Jefferson, Ga.
Background: Starks was a four-star recruit from Jefferson High School in Jefferson, Ga. in the class of 2022. He was the No. 19 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 62 for Rivals (four-star), and No. 10 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 12th in the nation with a 90 grade out of 100. According to MaxPreps, Starks amassed 17 tackles, three interceptions, two passes defensed, a forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries as a senior. He added 156 passing yards and 50 carries for 337 yards and seven touchdowns on offense. As a junior, he amassed 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions, and two passes defensed. On offense, he completed 20 of 48 passes for 569 yards, 11 touchdowns, and four interceptions and carried the ball 172 times for 1,537 yards and 24 touchdowns. Jefferson went 14-1 and made it to the GHSA Class 4A State Championship Game, and Starks earned Second Team All-State honors. As a sophomore, he made 27 tackles, five interceptions, three passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. Starks ran 53 times for 544 yards and five touchdowns and made eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Starks earned an invitation to the 2022 Under Armour All-American Game. He also competed in track and field and baseball. He helped Jefferson win the GHSA Class 4A State Championship in track and field as a freshman. Starks won the 4A State Championship in the long jump with a 23-7 as a junior. His personal bests were 24-9 in the long jump, 10.55 in the 100-meter dash, and 21.67 in the 200-meter dash. He also competed on the 4x100 relay team. Starks was born on Nov. 13, 2003.
Injuries & Off-Field: Sat out most of 2024 spring practices while recovering from shoulder surgery
Awards: 2022 First Team Freshman All-American (The Athletic), 2023 First Team All-SEC, 2023 First Team All-American, 2024 Second Team All-SEC, 2024 Second Team All-American (AP, ESPN, The Athletic, USA Today), 2024 First Team All-American (AFCA, FWAA)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal block units, well-built, arm length should meet thresholds, mostly loose hips and fluid mover, alignment and coverage versatility, athleticism makes it easy to disguise coverage pre-snap and rotate post-snap, physicality re-route receivers in press, uses sideline as an extra defender on outside releases, easily handles switch releases in off-man, speed to play off-man against slot options, reads the quarterback’s eyes, sticky at the top of the stem, quick transition from backpedal to forward drive, quick trigger on routes breaking in front of him, click and close eliminates YAC opportunities, good closing burst, impressive vision of developing routes, adjusts leverage to make the most of help defense, takes away deep posts and corners with leverage, timing at the catch point forces incompletions, physical at catch point, high points the ball, body control, closing burst on blitzes, willing run defender, consistent wrap-up tackler
Cons: Appears to lack top shelf vertical speed, overcommits to release in press, bites on route fakes in man coverage, some separation allowed on crossers, footwork in off-man slows him down, slot receivers separate on sharp breaks against man coverage, inconsistent staying attached at the stem’s top on short to intermediate routes, late to accelerate and match vertical routes, struggles to find ball with his back to the QB, occasionally caught flat footed in off-man, pulled downhill by play action, lacks range for single-high, takes some steep angles downfield, needs to play stronger vs. stalk blocks, underdeveloped stack and shed technique, struggled to discard Jake Briningstool blocks (2024)
Overview: Georgia asked Starks to fill many major roles throughout his career, and he delivered quality play from two-high, single-high, press and off-man coverage in the slot, and lurking as a robber. He’s a well-built prospect who checks all of the league’s preferred size thresholds. Starks is a fluid mover with mostly loose hips, which allows him to handle diverse coverage assignments and make some difficult rotations shortly before or after the snap. He’s physical when playing press coverage in the nickel. Starks re-routes would-be pass catchers and drives them toward the sideline. He’s not very comfortable in press coverage, often overcommitting to releases and biting on fakes. Starks is a high IQ player who easily diagnoses and adapts for switch releases, wide receiver stacks, and exotic play calls. His football intelligence also shows up in his anticipation and use of leverage. Starks lacks elite vertical speed but is fast enough to handle off-man duties against select slot playmakers. The Georgia native makes quick transitions from his backpedal into forward drive when triggering on routes breaking in front of him. His click and close burst eliminates opportunities for yards after the catch. Starks flashes some reps of sticky coverage at the top of the stem but often struggles to stay attached on comebacks and curls. He allows some separation on crossing routes and lacks the footwork to match patterns and stay connected against savvy slot receivers. The junior is late to turn and run on some vertical routes and occasionally gets caught flat-footed in off-man. He struggles to get his head around and locate the ball when running with his back to the quarterback. His future NFL team should remove a large chunk of man coverage reps from his plate, especially those against slot receivers. When operating at depth, Starks reads the quarterback’s eyes and sorts through routes with his impressive vision. He uses his leverage to deter deep posts and corners and provides his cornerbacks with an exceptional security blanket over the top. The All-American lacks the range for significant snaps in single-high at the next level. He is physical at the catch point. Starks arrives with great timing and high points the ball with excellent body control for potential interceptions. His discipline can be hit or miss. Sometimes he gets sucked downhill by play action, and he takes some terrible angles to fit the run or challenge screens that result in him being in a trail position. These poor angles have been a bad habit of his since his freshman season. Starks is a willing run defender with good tackling technique, but he struggles to stack and shed even some of the lightest tight ends he faces.
Overall, Starks is the most versatile starting-caliber safety in the 2025 class because of his football IQ and range in zone and coverage skills in press or off-man coverage. He excels at the catch point, forcing incompletions with heavy contact or contorting his body for high-flying interceptions. Starks’ versatility in coverage and elite play make him a top 15 prospect.
Role & Scheme Fit: Scheme diverse safety
Round Grade: First Round
Size: 6'0 7/8", 197 lbs. (NFL Combine)
Submitted: 09-19-24
Updated: 04-12-25