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When the Baltimore Ravens made Malaki Starks the 27th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, fans around the league openly wondered how the Georgia rusher would fit into Zach Orr's scheme alongside Swiss-Army Knife safety Kyle Hamilton.
So far, that prospect remains firmly incomplete, as the Ravens have just one preseason game under their belt and haven't exactly unloaded the clip with their full arsenal just yet. But in the opinion of head coach John Harbaugh, the results have already been a certified success, as he believes that Starks could help the Ravens' defense pick up more turnovers this fall.
“If you were going to sit there and say [that] one of the biggest reasons we drafted [Malaki Starks] is because of that very reason right there, and [defensive coordinator] Zach [Orr] … He's made the point every day, multiple times in meetings and practice field and everything else about getting the ball, about taking the ball away, about assaulting the football, about catching the ball when they throw it to you, about catching tips and overthrows – all these different things that he's been emphasizing and working on,” Harbaugh told reporters on Monday.
“I think that guys are buying into it in practice, and they're making a lot of plays on the ball. So, again, let's take it to the games. Malaki [Starks] is a great example of it. He just has great ball skills. He has great range. All those guys back there, you saw one today with DeAndre [Hopkins]. He made a great play. So, I'm happy with those guys.”
With one All-Pro safety already on their roster in Hamlton, the Ravens now have two do-it-all defensive backs who can impact the run and the pass from seemingly any position in the defensive secondary. Orr will have even more optionality in how he deploys his secondary, and the rest of the NFL had better be on notice, as one of the best units in all of football just got better.
