Green made it special because of the value they can offer. These youngsters are what make the Ravens defense arguably the best in the league.
Starks was NFL Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah's 25th ranked player in the draft and the second-best at his position only behind USC's (South Carolina, sorry Trojans) Nick Emmanwori. Standing at 6'1'' 197 lbs., he built a great resume as a Georgia Bulldog. He was a top recruit coming out of high school and started 14 games in 2022 for a team that won a national championship. Starks was up for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year as he put up 68 tackles and two interceptions in fourteen games. He then built off a strong first year by being named a First Team All-American and All SEC in 2023. He was a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski award given to the nation's top defender and the Jim Thorpe award handed out to the nation's top defensive back. He started every Saturday that season and had 52 tackles, down from the previous year, but his three interceptions was one more than 2022. To round out a stellar college career, he took a dip by being on the second teams previously mentioned but was still a finalist for the Thorpe award and led the team with a monster 77 tackles.
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| Georgia DB Malaki Starks is an exciting player for Baltimore to get this late in the draft. |
Most of his combine grades were above average and culminated in a 6.34 prospect grade, meaning will be an eventual plus starter according to NFL.com's system of grades. His 78-production and total grade was second among safeties but did not receive as good of an athleticism grade at 67, ranking 17th in his position group. While he wasn't amazing in most combine activities, his 1.51 second ten-yard split was in the top five of all safeties who did it. All of these factors between college and the combine led to him going in the end of the first round to a defensive minded organization in the Ravens. Seeing some of the highlights, he looks like a really good safety already with some strong traits about him. While there are things to polish in his game, it's a similar template to star safety Kyle Hamilton: a headstrong DB who can move around different spots. Speaking of Hamilton, he already gave Starks praise in training camp, saying Starks is "super talented" and "miles ahead of where I (Hamilton) was" maturity wise according to multiple outlets. Getting a player of this caliber late in the first round for the Ravens was a dream come true for General Eric De Costa and co., but the fun's not over in this draft for Baltimore.
Mike Green was part of a loaded batch of Edges in the class but was the third best behind Starks' teammate Jalon Walker and Penn State's Abdul Carter. He was even higher than Starks on Jeremiah's rankings at 21. His college career was a bit more complex than Starks, but he still ended up in a great spot come draft time. In 2021 he received limited action only playing in six games with four tackles and a sack at Virgina. The following year he redshirted after ghosting the team in fall camp, and head coach Tony Elliot said he was "no longer active". After leaving the Cavaliers, Green then got a chance to shine with the Marshall Bison as 2023 rolled around. He played in all 13 games featuring a start, and racked up 43 tackles, nine of which for losses, as well as 4.5 sacks. Everything came together in his draft season, as he was a second team All American, Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and first team all-Sun Belt. He was a finalist for the Ted Hendricks Award given to the nation's top defensive end and led FBS with 17 sacks and finished second 22.5 TFL (tackles for a loss). He started all 13 games and had 84 tackles and 2 PBUs (passes broken up).
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| Marshall Edge Mike Green is one of the best value picks from the 2025 NFL Draft. |
Mike Green didn't need to participate in as many exercises as Starks, but his score breakdowns were all in the top ten of the DEs, his lowest being a 77-production score (8th) and his highest being an 88-athleticism score (1st). The two marks put Green at an 83 total score, which ranked third among edges. The only data from the combine available was that he was able to take 28 bench press reps. All of these factors culminated in 1 6.46 grade on the Marshall star, leading scouts to believe he'll be a good starter within two years. Many in the industry thought Green could go in the first round, but sexual assault allegations steered teams away from the profile. De Costa said after the draft he felt comfortable taking the 6'3'' 251-pound DE regardless of the external factors. It was shocking Green fell that far to pick 27 in round two, and the Ravens got an extremely talented player at that spot. He is super dynamic for an edge and can move really well. The trick will be to harness his energy, as reports say he played so hard in college he could run out of gas quickly. Through it all, Green is now a part of a great defensive line and could eventually follow in the footsteps of Kyle Van Noy with development under the respected veteran.
In conclusion, the Baltimore Ravens did it again. A team this good has no business getting such value picks with the draft position they have, and it was a big success for the front office. Many of their other selections were exciting such as third round pick Emery Jones JR, an OT out of LSU and sixth rounder Tyler Loop, the first kicker ever taken by the organization, but Malaki Starks and Mike Green headline the 2025 class. There have been plenty of good reports out of the Ravens camp on how guys are performing in preseason activities, and a lot of the newest members of the team are in that bucket. This upcoming year is very exciting for Baltimore, given how loaded the roster is shaping up to be, and the rookies are a big part of it.
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