by Brady Penn
Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks poses after being chosen by the Baltimore Ravens with the 27th overall pick during the first round of the NFL football draft, Thursday, April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Under head coach Kirby Smart, the Bulldogs have established themselves as one of the premier pipelines for developing and sending NFL talent to the next level — specifically in the first round.
On Thursday night in Green Bay, the Dawgs added three more to the NFL ranks: Mykell Williams, Jalon Walker and Malaki Starks. These selections bring Georgia’s total to more than 50 first-round picks since the 2020 draft.
Williams was selected at No. 11 by the San Francisco 49ers, led by former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. He’ll line up opposite Nick Bosa. Williams is considered a high-upside project with elite traits and proven production against SEC competition.
Four picks later, the hometown Atlanta Falcons selected Walker. A “tweener” with an explosive motor, Walker can both rush the passer and play off the edge. The Dirty Birds, who desperately needed pass-rush help after posting an abysmal pressure rate in 2024, doubled down at the position by selecting fellow SEC standout James Pearce Jr. later in the round at No. 26.
With the pick immediately after Pearce, the Baltimore Ravens selected Starks. One of the steals of the draft, Starks is a rangy safety who can play deep, in the box and in the slot. He’ll pair with Kyle Hamilton in a standout secondary that struggled early in 2024 but improved as new defensive coordinator Zach Orr found his rhythm.
Falcons and Dawgs fans alike have reason to celebrate, as Atlanta finally made the kind of first-round splash with local talent it had long been reluctant to pursue.
Georgia defensive lineman Mykel Williams (13) is one of 3 UGA first round draft picks in 2025! (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
In recent years, young Dawgs have made a major impact in the NFL, including Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith in Philadelphia, as well as Ladd McConkey in Los Angeles.
All three of Georgia’s newest NFL products appear to have landed in ideal situations, considering scheme fit and opportunity to win relative to draft position. Starks and Williams join defenses that made conference championship appearances just one year ago. Walker, meanwhile, enters a Falcons team with an explosive offense and the potential to make a leap on defense.
While Walker and Williams opted out of attending the draft in person, Starks was at Lambeau Field to hear his name called by the reigning AFC North champions. During his press conference, Starks credited the Georgia program for preparing him for the next level.
“The biggest thing is just how they run their program — the details and the discipline that Coach Smart brings to the university,” he said. “He runs it like a pro-type program, so a lot of guys buy into that culture because they see what it does in the league and they see the success that [players] have with it.”
On Thursday night in Green Bay, Wisconsin, it was a damn good day to be a Dawg. and sooner rather than later, Athens may lay claim to even more of the NFL’s premier defensive talent.
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