The Baltimore Ravens have never been a team that tries to make a flashy pick, and that could be a good thing for a former Penn State star.
When Baltimore is at its best, it is physical, disciplined, and dominant up front.
Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic projected the Ravens to select Olaivavega Ioane, an offensive lineman from Penn State, with the No. 14 overall pick.
“Ioane is the exact type of behemoth Baltimore’s offense has been missing in the middle. Re-sign Tyler Linderbaum, put Ioane next to him, and Baltimore’s offensive line would be rocking again,” he wrote.
Pairing Ioane with Tyler Linderbaum would immediately help the Ravens offense, a unit that could use some help after dealing with multiple injuries and some downplay throughout the 2025 campaign.
With Lamar Jackson under center, the Ravens are always in a good position to go out and win a Super Bowl, but haven’t necessarily played as well as they've been hoping for in recent years.
Ionae gives Baltimore the ability to win up front, something it should already be able to do with players like Jackson and Derrick Henry running the football at a high level.
Matthew Jones of Fantasy Pros had some good things to say about what he’d bring, and a lot of it sums up perfectly why the Ravens should want him.
“A very thickly built starter with over two years of experience on the interior, who has shown year-over-year progress. Comes from a gap-heavy offense that asked a lot of their linemen, assignment-wise, with frequent pulls (to either side) and some difficult hook blocks and work in space.
“Can actually be a bit difficult to find at times, as Ioane is sometimes lined up as essentially an H-back to pull and lead the way on outside rushing attempts. Surprisingly mobile for such a big man, with above-average movement skills and an excellent work rate to get out in space and line up opponents. Has the short-area quickness to cross a defender’s face and hook them away from the play design, even when he’s on the move,” Jones wrote.