Dont know much about Starks, but we absolutely do need a safety or two. In everything Im reading, he's a top 10 talent and all the other safeties are day two guys and 3rd round grade at that. Howden has turned out to be more of a special team level guy that can fill in (often poorly) in a pinch.
If you can add an elite player at any position, you should probably do that. And try to do it again in the 2nd tound and again next year and so on. Three years down the road you have several elite players spread out across your roster. Right now I'm not sure we have any of those.