It was a long wait for the Ravens on Thursday night, but they came away from the first round of the NFL draft with a new safety who impressed the team on and off the field.

Baltimore selected Malaki Starks from Georgia with the 27th pick, a versatile defensive back who complements what the Ravens already have at the position.

That came after the Falcons traded back into the first round to jump Baltimore at No. 26 and take edge rusher James Pearce Jr., a possible Ravens target. But defensive coordinator Zach Orr is surely still leaving the first round satisfied.

“I feel like it’s a great fit for me to come in and learn from a guy like Kyle Hamilton and other vets in the room like Marlon Humphrey,” Starks said. “I think I fit the culture very well.”

Here’s a handful of things to know about Baltimore’s first-round pick.

He was a three-year starter at Georgia

Starks was not only an immediate impact player for the Bulldogs, but also a reliable safety who avoided injuries throughout his college career. He started 14 of 15 games as a freshman, then started every contest his sophomore and junior seasons.

The 6-foot-1, 203-pounder totaled 197 tackles — he led Georgia in tackles with 77 as a junior — 23 passes defensed and six interceptions over his three seasons. He helped the Bulldogs win their second consecutive national championship as a freshman on a defense loaded with now-NFL players.

“One thing I’ve learned from Ozzie [Newsome],” general manager Eric DeCosta said Thursday night, “experienced guys from winning programs, that’s a big deal.”

He was a “red-star guy”

The Ravens were in love with Starks’ intangibles, an obsession that began at their NFL combine interview. DeCosta called it “one of the most impressive” interviews he’s ever conducted. The Ravens have a grading scale to chart every combine interview across various categories, DeCosta said. Seven is the best score.

“Across the board, he got straight sevens,” DeCosta said. “I haven’t seen that type of detail in a long time.”

He similarly had a red star drawn next to his name on the Ravens’ draft board, a symbol reserved for the team’s favorite prospects.

“The way the scouts felt about him once we once we picked him, they were, like, jacked,” coach John Harbaugh said. “On top of that, the mentality, the mindset, the football character, the guy just loves be out there. He can’t wait to hit the grass.”

It’s the third time in the last four years the Ravens took a defensive back in the first round

Baltimore’s defense-first mentality has been especially evident in recent drafts. Starks joined Kyle Hamilton and Nate Wiggins as Ravens first rounders in the secondary and will soon play in the same secondary to form what figures to be one of the best young trios in the NFL.

DeCosta doesn’t quite agree with the notion that Baltimore’s focus on that unit has been intentional, but he’s quick to note the importance of the position and how depth there always proves elusive as seasons go on.

“If you’re going to lose a game, an easy way to lose it is by having a bad secondary,” the general manager said. “We never want to be in that position.”

He was a state champion track athlete in high school

Starks’ athleticism has an obvious origin story.

As a freshman in 2019 at Jefferson High School in Georgia, Starks won the individual state championship in the long jump with a 23-7 mark and led his team to a state title. He also touts a 100-meter dash personal best of 10.55 seconds.

“I got into it because of my older sister, she ran track, and I wanted to do everything that she did,” Starks said in 2023. “My favorite event changed a lot. In middle school, it was high jump; I was very good at it. My favorite event from my freshman year to my junior year would be the 100. I hated the 200, but I learned to love it. And I love the long jump. I was a triple jump fan, but it did too much to my knees, so I switched over to long jump. Long jump was my baby.”

Thursday night felt long for Starks, too

In a news conference with the media shortly after being drafted, Starks said he was about to begin a game of Uno before being selected late Thursday night. Then a timely phone call from Baltimore gave him all the energy he’d need.

“I was sitting on the couch about to play Uno. It’s been a long night, so I was just trying to stay calm through the whole thing,” he joked. “And then I heard the phone ring and I knew I was a Raven.”

Have a news tip? Contact Taylor Lyons at tlyons@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/TaylorJLyons.