After Georgia football lost to Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Sugar Bowl, the usual attrition of an offseason at an elite program immediately began. There is also a large amount of roster turnover at a school like Georgia, which has a lot of NFL talent in the starting lineup and will also lose highly-recruited backups to the transfer portal.

On Monday, Kirby Smart and this Georgia football team took one of their biggest hits, even though it was widely expected. Star safety Malaki Starks has officially declared for the NFL Draft, according to Jordan Reid of ESPN.

This decision as widely expected, but it is still a big blow to the Georgia defense. Starks was one of the best overall players in the country and was a finalist for the Thorpe Award as the best defensive back in college football this season. The award eventually went to Texas defensive back Jahdae Barron.

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Starks finished this season as Georgia's leading tackler with 77 total tackles. He also recorded three pass breakups and one interception for one of the best defenses in the country. Starks has the versatility to fill any role in the defensive backfield; he has great range at free safety, is a good tackler in the run game and is even a good enough athlete and has the fluidity to hold up against tight ends and slot receivers in man coverage.

As a result, Starks is widely projected to be a first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. Some mocks that are a little bit higher on Starks have him as a potential top 10 pick, but it feels more likely that he will land in the teens. He is nearly a consensus top safety on the board for a lot of people, with only South Carolina's Nick Emmanwori above him in some places. However, whichever team is able to grab Starks in the draft is getting a very talented player with championship experience from his time at Georgia.