Penn State Star Lands With Detroit Lions in Mock Draft

Penn State Nittany Lions star Vega Ioane is one of the top interior offensive linemen in the upcoming NFL Draft.

In The Athletic's latest mock draft, Ioane is projected to land with the Detroit Lions with the 17th overall pick.

Ioane could be a great fit for the Lions, bolstering their offensive line to protect Jared Goff and create holes in the run game for Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. 

Ioane has versatility on the offensive line as he's played both left guard and right guard. He has spent some time at right tackle, but projects as a guard at the next level.

Ioane was strong in pass protection for Penn State in the 2025 season, as he did not allow a sack.

He will be a major loss for the Nittany Lions offense, as they have a ton of changes coming.

Penn State had a disappointing season as a whole, finishing 7-6. The Nittany Lions were projected to be one of the top teams in College Football in 2025. They expected to make it to the College Football Playoff and to be one of the contenders to win the National Championship.

However, Penn State struggled mightily, leading to the firing of longtime head coach James Franklin.

The Nittany Lions went out and signed Matt Campbell as their next head coach. Campbell had a ton of success at Iowa State, going 72-55 across 10 seasons.

He has been aggressive in the transfer portal to retool Penn State's program. Campbell brought over a ton of players from Iowa State, as well as landing other players through the transfer portal. 

Ioane was one of the few bright spots of the previous regime, and he is going off to the NFL Draft as a top player at his position. The former Nittany Lion will look to have a strong NFL Combine to bolster his draft stock as he looks to be a first-round pick.

While Ioane looks to establish himself at the NFL level, Campbell and Penn State will focus on getting the program back to being a contender and one of the best teams in college football.