Spicy Draft Prospect Keeps Appearing in Vikings Mock Drafts
Kwesi Adofo-Mensah is just four weeks away from overseeing the fourth draft of his tenure as the Vikings’ general manager. His first pick hasn’t worked out and is still held against him by some part of the fan base, but he might just go ahead and copy that move on April 24th, regardless.
Spicy Draft Prospect Keeps Appearing in Vikings Mock Drafts
Lewis Cine was a standout safety at Georgia, and Adofo-Mensah thought about finding a wingman for Harrison Smith by adding an explosive rookie he could mentor, who could ultimately succeed him. Through three years, Cine hasn’t come close to meeting those expectations, and it’s a long shot he will ever meet them. The Vikings said goodbye after last year’s preseason.
Guess what? There is an explosive safety from Georgia in this draft, and he is expected to be drafted around the time Adofo-Mensah is scheduled to be on the clock. The man’s name is Malaki Starks, and the folks who do mock drafts would love to send him to the Twin Cities.
Pro Football Focus has a popular mock draft simulator, and Starks is the second-most commonly drafted player by the Vikings, slightly trailing Oregon’s defensive lineman Derrick Harmon (15.4%). Starks lands in Minnesota in 14.8% of the simulations.
Pro Football Network recently released a mock draft using data from their own simulator. The result? Starks ended up playing for Brian Flores.
The explanation: “The Minnesota Vikings have set themselves up fairly nicely this offseason. Quarterback remains a concern but not one they will address with another rookie, and there is not great value at interior offensive line at this point.”
Indeed, Adofo-Mensah has fixed most of the needs and can enter the draft using the “best player available” approach.
“That leaves the defensive backfield, where there is a lack of depth, especially at safety. It is a need to think about for 2026 and beyond, and Malaki Starks fits that need, even if his stock did take a bit of a hit after an unimpressive showing at the NFL Combine. The tape demonstrates that Starks has the potential to be an NFL-level starting safety and can also offer value covering receivers out of the slot.”
The Vikings just lost Cam Bynum in free agency. From now on, he will dance in an Indianapolis Colts uniform. That leaves the purple team with Smith, perhaps in his final season, versatile defender Joshua Metellus, and potentially promoted reserve Theo Jackson.
Drafting Starks to restock the trio makes sense, especially because Smith’s long-term successor still hasn’t been found. Adding another likely starter to the mix would also allow coordinator Flores to keep using Metellus in creative ways.
Bleacher Report offered glowing praise in January, “Malaki Starks projects as a first-round pick with the potential to make an immediate impact in the NFL. His combination of athleticism, ball skills, and physicality make him a versatile safety capable of excelling in both coverage and run support. While he may need to refine his technique against faster receivers, Starks’ overall skill set and football IQ give him a high ceiling as a defensive playmaker. With the ability to contribute from day one, Starks is poised to become a key player in any NFL secondary, offering the potential to develop into a Pro Bowl-caliber safety.”
The Vikings enter the draft with total flexibility after their strong free agency. They can add another offensive or defensive lineman, add to the revamped secondary, or even pick another skills position player to give Kevin O’Connell another weapon to work with.
Starks has the talent to make an immediate impact, but his selection would, of course, draw comparisons to Cine’s.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt