Malaki Starks- 6 Things To Know About The Eagles Draft Prospect
The Eagles having needs at Edge Rusher and DT was expected. One position that looked secure though was Safety. But with CJ Gardner Johnson now in Houston, suddenly Safety is another need going into the draft. And if they are going to draft a Safety, why not shop at Georgia? Enter Malaki Starks.
6 Things You Should Know About Malaki Starks
Elite Athlete
Malaki Starks did not put on the most impressive performance in the combine drills. His 40-time and 10-yard Split were mid-table for Safeties, and his cone drill and shuttle performances were the worst for Safeties who tested.
Don’t let that fool you, because where Starks shined was in the on-field workouts. There is an easy athleticism to the way he moves around the field. Put the 40-time aside, and look at how he actually moves, and what he did in the workouts, it becomes clear he is the fastest safety in the draft.
Watch the game tape, the speed is even more clear. Fluid is the word people like to use. He zooms around the field with ease, effortlessly keeping up with receivers.
High School Track Star
If you need further proof, go back to his time in High School. While at Jefferson High, he won the State Championship in the Long Jump, got a top 5 finish in the 100-meter dash with a blazing time of 10.55, finished as the runner-up in the 4X100, and was a region champ in all 4 events, plus the 200.
All those accomplishments were enough for him to be named the Blitz Track And Field Athlete of The Year.
Starter Since Freshman Year
You dont expect a freshman to join a team coming off a National Championship, and become one of their best players. But that is exactly what Starks did. He wasted no time after showing up in Athens, leading the entire championship defense with 847 snaps, on the way to winning a 2nd Championship.
By his standards, the freshman year was his worst season at Georgia. Compared to other safeties, he was still great. He was 5th in the SEC with 8 combined interceptions and forced incompletions. He also had 68 tackles and earned 1st-Team Freshman All-American honors.
His teammate Kamari Lassiter praised Starks for coming in not only ready to play but ready to learn.
“He’s a young guy, but he’s very talented. He’s like a sponge. He wants to soak up everything that he can learn to become a better player.”
Can Fill A Lot of Roles
Need someone to drop back deep? Starks has nearly 1200 snaps as the deep safety? Need someone to step up into the box? He did that over 550 times. If you need your Safety to move into the slot for a play, he did that over 600 times. Starks wore a lot of shoes, and all of them fit.
Eagles used to love using Malcolm Jenkins in several different roles, because he more than anyone in the league was capable of that. Since Jenkins left, they have not had someone capable of that. CJ could be a box safety and a free safety, but not so much a true slot guy. Reed Blankenship is mostly just a Box Safety and lacks the range to be a true Free Safety or a slot corner. Sydney Brown is also more of a box safety guy.
Starks could change that. He could fit every role they need him to. Cooper DeJean mostly plays in the slot, but if he has to come off the field, or they need to move him outside, Starks is someone who could step up in the slot like Jenkins used to do.
Human Highlight Reel
That athleticism shows up on the field. That was no more evident than in a play he made against Clemson back in August. A play Kirby Smart called one of the best plays he has ever seen.
“I do think the play I saw him make today may be one of the best defensive football plays I’ve ever seen live in person. I’ve seen a lot of them on TV, but that one he twisted and contorted his body and how he can find the ability to go find that ball and get it, it’s pretty.”
But that was not the 1st time he left his coach and teammates stunned. Back when he was a freshman, he had a similar acrobatic interception against Oregon.
Wants To Be A Role Model On And Off The Field
The football field is not the only place Starks strives for greatness though. He also strives to be great off the field. And one of the places he does that is by giving back to the community.
Starks was named to the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. An honor he shares with with fellow Georgia alum Nakobe Dean, who was named to the team back in 2021. Every year the American Football Coaches Association honors 11 players for their work giving back to the Community.
For Starks, it was in large part due to his work with the Wilderness Works Football Camp. Starks helped host 30 Atlanta area kids and assisted in donating $10,000 to local schools. He has also worked with Dicks Sporting Goods to get various kids $300 Gift Cards during the holiday season, among several other projects.
Starks joined ESPN to talk about some of his community service projects and stressed how important it is to give back now that he has the opportunity to.
“A big thing my parents taught me, is if and when god blesses you with the ability to give back, it is a responsibility of yours to do that. be a role model, be someone people can look up to… Some of the work that I have done has helped me just as much as it has helped other people… It is not about where you start, it is about where you finish.“
Starks is a special player on the field but is also a special player off of it. Howie Roseman loves to talk about how they like adding good people to the locker room. Starks certainly fits the bill.