In the eyes of the national media, the Arizona Cardinals remain a team full of needs. Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, many experts believe that the Cardinals could justify taking a player at just about any position, save quarterback.
Whether that's accurate or not is certainly up for debate. The Cardinals have made a point of adequately filling every hole on the roster to free themselves up in the early rounds of the draft.
Safety is arguably one of Arizona's most stable positions — Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson fill the starting roles, with Dadrion Taylor-Demerson as depth.
However, in PFF's recently released team-specific big boards, Georgia Safety Malaki Starks is ranked as the sixth-highest prospect for the Cardinals.
Safety Malaki Starks listed as top prospect for the Cardinals
Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort loves drafting prospects from power programs. He's made a habit of doing so, especially in early rounds. According to PFF, Georgia Safety Malaki Starks could be the next example.
Starks is ranked sixth on PFF's Cardinals big board, behind only Travis Hunter, Abdul Carter, Will Campbell, Will Johnson, and Jahdae Barron.
Hunter and Carter have no chance whatsoever of being available when the Cardinals are on the clock with the sixteenth pick. Campbell, Johnson, and Barron have all been linked to Arizona through the draft process. Starks, though, comes as a bit of a surprise.
PFF has had Starks ranked higher than most experts for quite a while. They have him ranked eighth among all prospects, while outlets like ESPN and PFSN have him outside of the top fifteen.
Starks, according to most analysts, is the top safety prospect in the class. He's a well-rounded safety, able to play both the run and the pass effectively. Starks is an excellent tackler and shows impressive instincts in coverage.
If the Cardinals have Starks rated as highly as PFF does, they should absolutely consider drafting him. Jalen Thompson may be on the way out, and Starks could be a natural replacement.
Still, this would be an odd selection. Starks profiles very similarly to Budda Baker. The two players would fill almost the same role in Jonathan Gannon's defense.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals have plenty of other areas on the roster that are more pressing than safety. PFF had top interior defensive line prospects ranked below Starks despite the Cardinals' need for depth there.
Unless Arizona truly views Starks as a can't-miss prospect, they should go a different direction in the first round.