Steve Palazzolo said Malaki Starks should step straight into the Marcus Williams vacancy as Baltimore’s free safety and give Mike Macdonald the flexibility to move Kyle Hamilton wherever matchups dictate. Palazzolo highlighted Starks’ 4.4 speed, proven slot-coverage reps at Georgia, and ball-skills that produced 5 INTs over two seasons, including the signature freshman high-point pick he referenced. Because Starks has already handled deep-middle, slot and even outside-corner snaps in the SEC, Palazzolo expects Baltimore’s secondary to rotate disguises again, freeing Hamilton for more box/blitz work — a boost for IDP managers and a reason to keep the Ravens D/ST in the top fantasy tier. Draft-capital context mattered too: Starks was the consensus No. 1 safety yet slid to the back of Round 1, so Baltimore extracted first-round value without sacrificing other premium picks. Palazzolo concluded Starks’ versatility plus Hamilton’s Swiss-army-knife profile "lets the Ravens play coverage on their terms from Day 1."

Thor Nystrom wrapped the mock by handing Georgia safety Malaki Starks to the Eagles at pick 32 and said the move is so on‑brand for Howie Roseman that odds are bound to tumble. Starks owns a 4.38 forty, a 41‑inch vert, and the highest coverage grade (90.3) among SEC safeties the past two years while playing three different roles—single‑high, slot, and the Bulldogs’ hybrid STAR. Philadelphia cycled through five safeties last season and still finished 31st in explosive‑pass rate allowed, so Roseman’s Georgia pipeline (five Dawgs drafted in the last two classes) makes Starks the obvious fall‑stopper. Thor pointed out that books still hang Starks’ draft slot O/U at 36.5 and list ‘Team to Draft Malaki Starks – Eagles’ as long as +650 because most mock drafters assume Philly will chase trenches. He urged bettors to pounce on those numbers now, arguing that once insiders report the Eagles’ medical board clears Starks, “there is no chance he makes it to Day 2.”