Todd McShay takes his description of Vega Ioane to the next level when describing the first-round offensive lineman.
We have heard a lot about Penn State Nittany Lions' star Vega Ioane to this point in the NFL Draft prep, but we have not heard this one yet.
Former ESPN draft analyst turned independent expert Todd McShay dropped his Mock Draft 3.0 on Monday, and in it, while explaining Ioane's first-round selection, he described him in a way that we have yet to hear anywhere to this point in the pre-draft process.
McShay called Ioane the "best offensive lineman in this draft class." He went on further to describe Ioane as a "plug-and-play starter" as a rookie.
Strong words to describe the 21st overall pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it isn't that far off.
Ioane's superpower is his ability to play in space and his ability to dominate a defender with his vice-grip hands. Once Ioane gets his hands on a defensive lineman, it is game over, and a hole is being created.
Not only does Ioane win with strong hands, but he also wins with incredible violence at the point of attack. When he arrives at the block point, he does so with very bad intentions, with the goal of moving a human being out of the way.
Whether he blocks straight up or he blocks on the move, Ioane wins more times than not, and out of all of the prospects available in the draft, McShay believes he is the best one.
Now, it seems to be that he is either going to land in Los Angeles with the Chargers or where he did in this mock draft, in Pittsburgh with the Steelers.
Ioane landing in Pittsburgh would be such a seamless fit for not only him but also for the Steelers.
Pittsburgh is in a weird spot as a franchise. They are kind of in a transition phase and kind of not. They are trying to win and make it to the playoffs, but they would also benefit from a bad year where they can land one of the next top quarterbacks.
Because of that, they are going to be in a position to go with drafting how winning franchises do, at the line of scrimmage. They are no stranger to making the "grown-up" selections and rarely making the sexy pick that many fanbases want.
Ioane would be somewhere in the middle. He would be an incredible value at pick No. 20, and he would also fit right into the Steelers roster, culture, and team from day one.