The Minnesota Vikings should continue their defensive rebuild this offseason, and the upcoming draft offers a surplus of potential impact players at multiple positions of need. While the Vikings have positioned themselves to address their needs with the most effective cap space the franchise has had in years, they must attain secure impact talents with limited draft capital.
Malaki Starks is one such talent. The junior safety from Jefferson, Ga., committed to Georgia as a five-star recruit at safety. He was the 19th-overall recruit in the nation, per 247 Sports’ composite rankings.
Starks could be selected as high as the eighth pick. However, high-end safety prospects have recently slid due to the perception of their positional value compared to other prospects of similar caliber positions like WR, OT, ED, or IDL.
Potential fits for Starks include:
- Carolina Panthers at pick No. 10
- Miami at 12
- Indianapolis at 14.
- Cincinnati at 17
- Seattle at 18
Starks, 21, has earned personal accolades and team achievements during his career. As a freshman, he became the starting free safety on a loaded Georgia roster. Georgia won the National Championship in 2022, and Starks was named Freshman All-American.
Starks also received the coveted honor of consensus First Team All-American in 2023 and was a member of the 2024 First-Team All-American team. He was also with First Team All-SEC in 2023 and 2024.
His 53.3% reception percentage (REC%) allowed in man coverage during the 2023 campaign was the sixth-best mark of Power 5 players targeted 10 or more times. Starks also had a 66.3 passer rating allowed when targeted, which was sixth among P5 players. Starks grabbed one interception and broke up the second-most passes of P5 safeties in man.
However, Starks’ numbers were arguably even more impressive in zone. Starks only permitted a 50 REC%, which is good for third among P5 players with 10 or more targets. Starks averaged 35.7 snaps between receptions in zone, good for third in the class, a 64.2 passer rating when targeted, and snagged one interception.
In 2024, Starks allowed a 55.6% completion percentage in man coverage and a 57.8 passer rating, stellar marks for the safety. In zone he allowed a 78.3% completion percentage and 145.7 passer rating, being deployed all over the field to compensate for the lack of talent in Georgia’s DB room.
Starks is equally effective as a run defender, crashing the alley and sorting through blocks to wrap up runners when playing deep or run-fitting from the box. He’s a physical player with the size to avoid getting washed out in the run game. He also has sound tackling technique, which prevents big plays, and he can blow up his target with force.
Starks’ speed is elite, giving him exceptional range when playing deep. His unreal ball skills make him a ball-hawking rover clouding the deep thirds. Starks’ man-coverage ability is solid, and he can provide sound coverage from the nickel. Coaches can trust him to hold up one-on-one on the outside, and he would provide Brian Flores with athleticism and versatility.
Harrison Smith, Cam Bynum, and Josh Metellus logged the second-, third-, and fourth-most snaps of Minnesota’s defensive players in 2024. Proactive investment into the position group should be a priority, with Smith likely to retire within the next two years and Bynum entering free agency. Starks’ ability to work in the slot or the boundary gives the Vikings more freedom to use Byron Murphy Jr. in multiple spots on the field, assuming he returns in free agency.
Starks’ pursuit angles are an occasional area of concern. Occasionally, opposing players caught him coming downhill too aggressively, leading to open lanes for runners or missed tackles. However, that’s a negligible worry and can be coached up.
Not only is Starks an excellent performer on the field, but his character off of it would fit nicely with the culture Kevin O’Connell and Kwesi Adofo-Mensah are building in the Twin Cities. Starks has been involved in events for underfunded children’s sports within his community, dedicating his time to working at the Wilderness Works Football Camp in Atlanta while contributing to a $10,000 donation through a local teacher initiative.
His work led to him being named to the AFCA Good Works Team and a finalist for the Coach Wooden Citizenship Cup Award.
If Starks is available at the 24th pick, the Vikings should run in the card. Starks would be an excellent selection, providing the Vikings a stable long-term option at safety, and giving Brian Flores high-end talent and additional versatility in a defensive back room that will be undergoing a massive overhaul. This selection would also give the Vikings a player who can provide immediate playing time, a long-term impact, and an incredible upside at the safety position.
