NFL Draft Expert Shares His Thoughts on UGA Football Star Malaki Starks
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ATHENS - Even though he was named a Jim Thorpe Award finalist, some would say Georgia Bulldog safety Malaki Starks could’ve played better in 2024.
However, he’s is certainly not seeing a drop in his draft status. In fact, after a strong NFL Combine and excelling in the interview process, it appears Starks has solidified himself as a lock for the first-round in next month’s 2025 NFL Draft.
The former five-star prospect exploded on the scene in his very first game against Oregon to start the 2022 season and was a consistent starter for the rest of his career. He was a reliable defender for Kirby Smart and Glenn Schumann over the last three years but didn’t make as many big plays as he would’ve liked last fall.
Still, Starks has the ball skills, the intangibles, the frame, and the natural athleticism that should allow him to have a strong NFL career in the future.
NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah had some similar things to say about Starks to former Georgia Bulldog star David Pollack this week.
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“Malaki Starks’ interviews, which won’t surprise you, were outstanding”, Jeremiah told Pollack. “Incredible. The Clemson game was his best tape which was right out of the gate. He just didn’t make as many plays as he did in the past. I thought maybe I was being hard on him and had him in the early 30s, but I thought ‘let me take a step back’. I’m hearing all these teams talking about his intelligence and his leadership. To me I put extra weight on that as a safety so I’m going to move him up my list because there are just too many dots that are connected. So I’m going to forgive him for not making as many plays this year and know they’e going to come in the future.”
If you’ve watched Starks play over the last three years, that’s the right approach to have. His natural talent and elite ball skills are easy to see and his best football is still way ahead of him.
Jeremiah currently ranks Starks as the 25th best overall prospect in the upcoming draft.
As a junior in 2024, Starks made a team-leading 77 tackles with four TFLs and one INT. Over his three-year career, Starks made 197 tackles, six TFLs and six INTs to go along with 17 pass-breakups.