Philadelphia Eagles may not have to consider a trade up after all if they want the Georgia player that makes too much sense for them
The Philadelphia Eagles pick at No. 32 overall in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, and while general manager Howie Roseman is typically aggressive when it comes to trading up to get what he wants, it might not be necessary. The Super Bowl LIX winners still have a need at safety as the draft […]
The Philadelphia Eagles pick at No. 32 overall in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft, and while general manager Howie Roseman is typically aggressive when it comes to trading up to get what he wants, it might not be necessary.
The Super Bowl LIX winners still have a need at safety as the draft approaches since they traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson away, and they may be able to get a steal in the first round in former Georgia Bulldogs star Malaki Starks.
Prior to the NFL Combine, Starks was considered a top prospect in the draft, but after poor testing, his stock has fallen a little bit, according to what SB Nation is recently hearing.
"Maybe it’s due to a bit of prospect fatigue, but Malaki Starks has fallen a little bit post-NFL CombineHe didn’t really crush the athletic testing in indy (although if you look at his GPS data it tells a different story), and the middling performance has caused his stock to fall a little bit. While guys like Nick Emmanwori from South Carolina has risen quickly up the boards, Starks has taken a small dip."
Starks enters the draft after racking up 197 tackles and six interceptions in three seasons at Georgia. His overall 2024 production took a dip compared to 2023, though he was taking on various roles in the secondary.
If the Eagles were to draft Starks, he would feel right at home since they already have eight former Georgia defenders on their roster.
Starks had previously mentioned at the combine that it would be an "honor" to reunite with his former teammates in Philly, especially Jalen Carter.
"My freshman year, Jalen Carter sat across from me. When I got to Georgia, I was expecting, like, they had all these people, great guys, some people probably stuck up, or whatever it may be, but everybody was cool," Starks said. "And I remember JC and Javon Bullard, like I remember standing at my locker one day, and JC walked up to me. He was like, 'Go get it. Go get it. You can do it. I see you, keep working.'
"And that just kind of gave me that confidence. Because you know, if you ask me, JC is the best player I've ever played with, hands down. And I think just the thing that you doing in league, you just see it as well. So just being with those guys, that standard on the Smith, those guys really played a really big part in my role at the University of Georgia. So it would an honor to play with them for sure."
Starks would be a great fit and would fill the void left by CJGJ, so if he is still lingering at No. 32, then the Eagles should not pass him up.
