The Buffalo Bills know they must upgrade the defensive side of the ball if they want to continue having great success. Last year, the Bills made it to the AFC title game, where they fell to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the goal is to reach the Super Bowl.
Buffalo has been so close over the past five seasons to reaching the Super Bowl, and if the team can get a little more help in the secondary, they could make some plays in the playoffs that could send the Bills to the Promised Land.
Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted rookie cornerback Cooper DeJean in the second round, and he had a crazy pick-six in the Super Bowl to help the Eagles beat the Chiefs.
Malaki Starks Named A Fit For The Bills
The Bills could be looking to add their star defensive back in this year’s NFL Draft to make a play against Kansas City. Bruce Nolan from Buffalo Rumblings suggests that the Bills may consider Georgia safety Malaki Starks early in the draft.
“Malaki Starks is a first-round prospect specifically because he has that versatility. That ability is achieved through football IQ and physical behaviors, and Starks showed both in a Georgia defense that has produced multiple high-level NFL defenders in recent years,” Nolan wrote. “Starks’ body control shines both in coverage and when tackling downhill, revealing a smooth athlete who can just as easily avoid blocks on the perimeter as he can make contorting plays on the ball down the field. Starks can be trusted in deep half or single high to be where he’s supposed to be, with excellent deep ball tracking and depth perception.
He doesn’t shed blocks optimally from the box once attached and can cede separation in man at the route break, but shows high level acceleration (1.56 10 yard split) to close the windows that may open post-break and make plays on the ball.”
Starks Would Be Amazing For Buffalo
Starks would be a great fit for the Bills’ defense. Even though Straks only made six interceptions in 43 college games, he can play the ball well.
The Bills hold the No. 30 pick in this year’s draft, which could be the spot Starks could go. Starks looked to be around a Top 15 pick at the start of last season, but he seems to fall a little down the board due to positional value.
A few years ago, Alabama’s star safety Brian Branch fell to the Detroit Lions in the second round when he was supposed to be a Day 1 pick, and he turned into one of the best players in the NFL. So, if Starks does fall to the Bills at No. 30, it could be a great steal for a team that has to hit on a first-round pick.
If the Bills can draft Starks, he will be able to help out the defense from Day 1, which will be critical to the team’s success and its attempt to make the postseason.
