Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane is the sole Nittany Lion projected for Round 1. The mauling guard's stock is soaring, with the Ravens eyeing him at 14.
The Penn State Nittany Lions don't have much representation expected to come in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
After a disappointing season in 2025, several PSU players are likely to go in Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.
Quarterback Drew Allar, running back Kaytron Allen, could be taken on Saturday after being thought of as athletes that could compete for a Day 1 spot before the 2025 season.
Offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane could be the only Nittany Lions player taken in the first round. His stock appears to be rising with one day to go before the draft starts.
ESPN's Peter Schrager thinks the Baltimore Ravens would take Ioane with the No. 14 pick.
"The Ravens have always had great success drafting offensive linemen in the first round. And they can lighten the loss of one of those successes (center Tyler Linerbaum, signed in Las Vegas) by taking the best guard on many boards around the league," Schrager wrote.
"Ioane is a 6-foot-4, 320-pound mauler, and he could join John Simpson in cleaning up the guard position for Baltimore."
To be clear, there is no way Ioane would replace Linderbaum. Linerbaum is one of the best centers in the league. Ioane projects to be an offensive guard at the next level.
With that being said, the Ravens would be wise to help fortify the interior offensive line now that Linderbaum is with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta has done his homework on the Nittany Lions guard. He thinks Ioane will be a stout player in the league.
"I've obviously seen him play a bunch," DeCosta said, via the Ravens. "He's physical [and] tough. He's probably a guard, but [he] sort of prototypes, straight from central casting of what you want your guards to look like."
Ioane could be the best offensive lineman in the draft. However, he likely won't be the offensive lineman taken first because of the value placed on the offensive tackle position.
Still, he'd be a fit with the Ravens in the middle of the first round. He'd protect quarterback Lamar Jackson and help new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle open up the running game.