Offensive line picks are never the hot commodity during the NFL Draft, but they're typically the moves that smart teams make. One of them was the Baltimore Ravens, who selected Penn State standout Vega Ioane.
There's been a clear effort to improve on both sides of the football for the Ravens throughout the offseason, and they were able to do just that by landing a player who has a real opportunity to not only be a guaranteed starter as a rookie but someone who can potentially be an All-Pro caliber player on the offensive line.
We have to give credit to the Ravens for trying to improve in front of Lamar Jackson, as keeping him upright is the most important thing on that roster. The Ravens also have an elite run game with Jackson and Derrick Henry, so this was a very good landing spot for the former Penn State player.
And according to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta, it sounds like Ioane was actually the top player on his board, adding that he was his favorite player in the entire draft.
“It was tense and exciting. We had some teams calling to trade back, maybe one or two spots. We were open to it, but we really loved the player we took — Vega Ioane (also referred to as Venga / Vega). He was my favorite player in the entire draft. Extremely physical, smart, tough, great balance, and he can start right away. He checked every box and fits exactly what we look for,” he said, per USA Today.
Jesse Minter, the new defensive coordinator, had a lot of promising words about the youngster and what he can do in a Ravens uniform.
"It's about really starting from scratch, and these guys need to learn everything about how we operate," Minter said. "Now, Vega is so athletic and so powerful that I know he can learn the footwork, but it has to be the exact way that [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line] Coach [Dwayne] Ledford wants it done."