Overview

Position: S

College: Georgia

Class: Junior

Age: 21

 

Measurables

Height: 6’0 7/8”

Weight: 197 lbs.

Arm length: 31 5/8″

Hand size: 9 1/2″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.50 sec.

10-yard split: 1.51 sec.

Vertical jump: 33.0″

Broad jump: N/A

Bench press: N/A

3-cone drill: 7.26 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.45 sec.

 

Strengths

High-end playmaking ability as a deep safety. Prototype overall size and length. Elite football intelligence and awareness. Outstanding ability to diagnose plays. Phenomenal instincts and reaction time. Seems to see things before everyone else. Excellent speed and acceleration. Extremely smooth movement skills and covers a ton of ground in the backpedal. Very fluid flipping his hips in space. Terrific range as a centerfielder. Top-tier ball skills. High-points and attacks the ball in the air. Able to make acrobatic plays on the ball. Looks to rake at the ball at the catch point. Comfortable defending from the trail position versus simple routes in man coverage. Fast playing vertical routes. Sticks to slot fades. Very good skillset to defend tight ends in man coverage. Better in man coverage playing underneath routes with a cushion. Does a nice job working through traffic to get to his man in coverage. Doesn’t tip his hand at all as a blitzer from the slot. Experience lining up over tight ends in the box. Aware and in the right position to play the run. Technically sound coming down to tackle. Consistently looks to wrap. Always filtering towards the ball. Exceptional pursuit and speed to the sideline. Very willing to get into the action as a tackler. Aggressive helping to clean up tackles. Plus strength taking on tight ends in the running game. Tremendous effort to get off blocks. Will disengage and make the tackle. Shows tons of pre-snap communication.

 

Weaknesses

Not his game but has been exposed in man coverage versus wide receivers in the slot. Gets fooled by misdirection and more complex routes in man coverage. Needs to be better keeping outside contain to prevent runs getting bounced and missing with a lunging attempt. Struggled to get off a couple of blocks from Alabama wide receiver Kendrick Law (2024). Allowed Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe outside for big gains (2024). Struggled with missed tackles in general versus Alabama (2024).

 

NFL comparison

Ed Reed

 

Conclusion

Overall, Starks is a playmaking free safety that is at his best in zone coverage with his eyes on the quarterback. In addition to the top-tier ball skills and intelligence, Starks’ superstar potential is boosted by his versatility and willingness as a tackler.

 

Big Board ranking: #7 | Positional ranking: #1