The NFL draft is a whirlwind. Sometimes, it’s hard to keep track of it all.
In recognizing that fact, The Baltimore Sun has devoted this space to highlighting the most important stories and key moments involving the Ravens’ selections from the opening round on Thursday night all the way to pick No. 257 on Saturday afternoon.
Best targets on Day 2
Who could be on the clock when the Ravens are picking at No. 59 overall (second round) and No. 91 (third) on Friday night? They still need to address defensive line, edge rusher, cornerback and offensive line.
Here’s a look at some of the top players at those spots:
Defensive line
- Darius Alexander, Toledo
- T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
- Alfred Collins, Texas
Edge rusher
- Nic Scourton, Texas A&M
- Landon Jackson, Arkansas
- JT Tuimoloau, Ohio State
Cornerback
- Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
- Benjamin Morrison, Notre Dame
- Azareye’h Thomas, Florida State
Offensive line
- Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
- Jonah Savaiinaea, G/T, Arizona
- Tate Ratledge, G/C, Georgia
5 things to know about Malaki Starks
Here’s a handful of things to know about Baltimore’s first-round pick.
- He was a three-year starter at Georgia
- He was a “red-star guy”
- It’s the third time in the past four years the Ravens took a defensive back in the first round
- He was a state champion track athlete in high school
- Thursday night felt long for Starks, too
3 takeaways from Ravens’ first-round pick
Here are three things we learned from the Ravens’ joyride that was Day 1 of the draft.
Starks shined in predraft process
The Ravens brought Starks in for a predraft meeting at the NFL scouting combine with DeCosta, coach John Harbaugh and numerous other team staffers. It lasted only about 15 minutes. That was plenty to knock their socks off.
Versatility for the Ravens’ secondary
John Harbaugh was already licking his chops. Asked if, between the 30 minutes after making the pick official and sitting down to field questions from reporters, he’d already started visualizing what that defense might look like, Harbaugh gave a big smile. “We have, we have.”
DeCosta fielded trade calls
The phone in the Ravens’ war room started ringing. They had a chance to trade back. DeCosta weighed the possibility of adding a draft capital, which they covet, versus the potential available in sticking and picking.
Continue reading here.
Mike Preston: Starks makes defense better, but maybe not enough
The hope was that the Ravens would secure a top pass rusher on the first day of the draft. That didn’t happen, but they did get better on defense.
They still might be able draft a talented pass rusher on Day 2, but it appears more likely that the team will have to sign another veteran free agent. Instead, on Thursday night, the Ravens selected Georgia safety Malaki Starks with the No. 27 overall pick in the first round.
Together with Kyle Hamilton and Ar’Darius Washington, the Ravens will have one of the best safety tandems (or trios) in the NFL.
Starks ‘ready to dive into the whole process of being a Raven’
Malaki Starks was sitting on a couch at the NFL draft in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Thursday night getting ready to play UNO as he tried to keep his mind occupied as the minutes and hours ticked away.
“It’s been a long night, so I was just trying to stay calm through the whole thing,” he said. “Then I heard the phone ring and I knew I was going to be a Raven.
“I’m ready to dive into the whole process of being a Raven. I’m excited. I don’t want to waste the opportunity.”
Baltimore didn’t either, so with the 27th overall pick, Baltimore selected the versatile Georgia safety who checked plenty of boxes in the eyes of general manager Eric DeCosta and coach John Harbaugh.
Instant analysis: Starks pick gets rave reviews
“In landing Starks, Baltimore got not just a productive player (his 77 tackles led the Bulldogs last year), but a defender who can make plays on the ball and is versatile enough to play multiple spots in the backfield.” — Brian Wacker, reporter
“The Ravens got better on defense. They didn’t get the edge rusher this team so desperately needs, but in Starks they have a prospect who can play center field on defense and allow fellow safety Kyle Hamilton to go back to playing near the line of scrimmage.” — Mike Preston, columnist
“This is a pick to be excited about after the Ravens let up oh so many explosive plays (58 for 20-plus yards, third most in the NFL) in 2024.” — Sam Cohn, reporter
“The Ravens’ defensive backfield is full of versatile pieces — a dream for [Zach] Orr, the young defensive coordinator who improved as the season went on and now gets another talent to experiment with.” — Taylor Lyons, reporter
Have a news tip? Contact sports editor C.J. Doon at cdoon@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/CJDoon.