Who is Malaki Starks? Georgia safety may be available to Bengals at No. 17 in NFL draft
The Cincinnati Bengals have the 17th overall pick in Thursday’s first round of the NFL draft in Green Bay, and NFL.com’s Gennaro Filice is among those predicting Cincinnati selects Georgia safety Malaki Starks.
“Cincinnati has struggled with safety play since letting Jessie Bates III walk in free agency,” Filice wrote in his mock draft. “Starks offers pedigree (five-star recruit), high-level experience (three-year starter at Georgia) and versatility (significant snaps as a box defender, nickelback and single-high safety). He lacks supreme athletic testing, having posted underwhelming numbers in Indy. But don’t overthink it! The man’s play speed is undeniable, while his cerebral approach to the game is gold on the pre-draft interview circuit. It might be illegal with a prospect this accomplished, but I’m claiming Starks as MY GUY in the 2025 draft class.”
Starks, who played three seasons for the Bulldogs and won a CFP national championship as a freshman, was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award last season.
Starks was named second-team Associated Press All-American as a junior at Georgia.
Starks left after his junior year, when he also was selected second-team all-SEC after starting all 14 games and leading the Bulldogs with 77 tackles.
As a sophomore, Starks was first-team Associated Press All-American and first-team all-SEC, as well as a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski (top defender nationally) and Jim Thorpe (top DB nationally) awards.
As a freshman, Starks was a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award.
Starks played in 43 games over three seasons at UGA.
“Three-year starter with reams of high-leverage games on his resume,” Lance Zierlein wrote in Starks’ NFL.com draft profile. “Starks is a versatile safety with the size and athleticism to eliminate contested catches and the speed and ball skills to shine when the action travels deep. … He is a future starter as a movable back-end piece whose consistency will determine his floor/ceiling.”
