Is Malaki Starks a playmaker the Carolina Panthers should covet during the 2025 NFL Draft?
The Carolina Panthers' brass did exactly what they said over the first wave of free agency. Dan Morgan's recruitment was defense-heavy. Now that the dust has settled, we can see the positions that are in dire need of being upgraded.
Carolina spent top dollar for safety Tre’von Moehrig on a three-year, $51 million deal years 51 million. They also got stunning play from undrafted free agent Demani Richardson, but both players play in the box and closer to the line of scrimmage. The Panthers have a glaring hole at deep safety.
Enter Malaki Starks, the Georgia safety who could be the answer to Carolina's prayers.
Malaki Starks 2025 Scouting Report
Notes
- Height: 6 foot-0
- Weight: 197 pounds
- Recruitment: 5-Star Prospect
Positives
- Eyes and Instincts
- Sticky in coverage
- Ball skills
- Sound tackler
- Route squeeze
- Range
When discussing dominant NFL free safeties throughout league history, Ed Reed's name always pops up. The synonym is Malaki Starks.
Starks was an elite prospect coming out of high school. He made an instant impact in his first game as a true freshman against Oregon.
The defensive back is very impressive in coverage on tape. They used him as a single high, split safety, and even a nickel cornerback. Starks was at his best playing over the top, covering up the mistakes of the cornerbacks in front of him or matching deep route concepts.
Starks' ball skills allow him to track the ball on these concepts and make it look like the quarterback is throwing to him instead of the receiver. He was tracking the ball over his back shoulder and making diving catches and pass break ups on a consistent basis in his three years with the Georgia Bulldogs.
The best part of Starks' game is his eyes, football IQ, and instincts. The biggest problem with safeties translating to the pros is how they see the game in front of them and how the offense is trying to manipulate them. He should keep complications to a minimum during his transition.
Starks had a subpar NFL Scouting Combine according to RAS (Relative Athletic Score) measurements, but you would never know when watchin his tape. He can see what the offense is trying to do and is playing a half step ahead.
The dominant safety breaks on routes before the ball is released. Starks covers sideline-to-sideline. He is quick to run the lane and make a tackle against the run. He does all this not because he is a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, but because he sees the game so well.
Negatives
- Press Man
- Violence behins pads
- Angles against the run
- Play strength
The negatives for Starks shined bright last season. You can see how his athleticism limited him in his role for Georgia.
Starks played closer to the line of scrimmage and as a slot corner in 2024. He struggled to play press coverage and keep up with faster wideouts. He gave up too much cushion, explosive plays, and back-breaking touchdowns in the red zone. Specifically in the Alabama game.
The incoming prospect also showed some of his weaknesses against the run. The angles he took were not as efficient as they were coming from a deeper depth. I also noticed there is not much violence behind his pads.
A lot of guys can’t wait to lower their shoulder and lay a bone-chilling hit on an offensive player. I did not see much if any of that at all when watching Starks' tape.
Malaki Starks NFL Player Comparison: Jessie Bates
It felt like I was watching a carbon copy of Jessie Bates. The athletic profiles match up perfectly — both running 4.5 seconds in the 40-yard dash and having poor explosive scores. But both play faster than everyone else on tape.
Bates made his money on having the best eyes and ball skills in the NFL. Panthers fans are very familiar considering how he manipulated quarterback Bryce Young on his career debut. Jumping routes, covering massive amounts of space, and rarely being manipulated by a signal-caller's eyes are traits Starks also showcases often.
I believe the same upside is there with Starks, and he showed it over his first two years at Georgia. People forget how great he was before the role change. It reminds me of the same prospect fatigue mixed with a down year that made Derek Stingley Jr. fall to being the second cornerback taken.
Starks would be an amazing addition to Ejiro Evero’s defense. Pairing him with Tre'von Moehrig would be the perfect playmaking tandem to enforce plays versus the run and generate turnovers in the passing game.
I feel the Panthers will believe a deep safety who is an okay athlete is too rich for No. 8 overall. That makes Starks the perfect candidate in a trade-down scenario.
