Baltimore Ravens No. 14 overall pick Vega Ioane spoke to the media at his introductory press conference, promising to prove doubters wrong about being a first-round pick guard.
The Baltimore Ravens got a huge player in Penn State guard Vega Ioane, who was selected with the No. 14 overall pick. Ioane was rated the top guard coming out of college, and now has a chance to be an immediate starter.
Following being drafted, Ioane spoke about his plans to prove himself, including the doubters who have balked at the idea of taking a guard in the first round of the draft.
"There's 11 people on the field at one time, you're missing one, you can't play a game of football. You can't play real football with o-linemen. If you don't have a complete five, or there's five people up front that don't play as one, there's a lot of pride that needs to be taken upon that. For me, getting picked first round to play as a guard, I take a lot of pride in that coming in. I'm trying to make a big impact, playing as a guard, and just proving them wrong," Ioane said.
Ioane will be tasked with either stepping into the right or left guard position, or possibly at center. Either way, his versatility is a major reason why he was drafted at No. 14.
Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle spoke on Ioane's scheme versatility and what excited the Ravens about being able to land him.
"That's a huge factor. The versatility that he has in his game allows you on offense to be very multiple. Really, he can do a lot of different things. You always want to be building the scheme around the player. Because of his unique skillset, it allows you to be able to stretch defenses in a lot different ways," Doyle said.
The Ravens clearly have a lot of faith in Ioane, and he was selected not only as one of the strongest prospects in the draft, but to to send a message to Lamar Jackson that the team is doing everything it can to protect him.
Ioane spoke about needing to do just that, and visualizing being able to block for Jackson.
"I've thought about it a lot. His name is a big name around the game. He has been around the game for a while now. He's a very talented player, a phenomenal player. It's going to be an honor and blessing for me to block for someone like that," Ioane said.
Baltimore has always been a culture builder and the phrase "Play Like a Raven" holds a deeper meaning for the organization. This is a huge reason why Ioane was targed, as he posseses the kind of traits that the team needs to not only rebuild the line but to infuse hungry and younger talent into the team.
Though Ioane said he approaches the game with calmness, he also expects to metaphorically "kill someone" on the field as well.
Understanding the Ravens culture is one thing, but the young guard prospect also understands the need to have to "prove" himself. During his initial media session after being drafted, the Penn State lineman spoke on needing to step up and match the quality of players currently on the team.
"I'm really excited, man. Um, biggest thing for me is coming in and, you know, proving myself and, you know, earning my role. I come in there, there's a lot of great players in the O line room, a lot of great players on the team itself. So, for me, you know, being surrounded by great players like that, it's just going to make me better and that's, you know, that's all I can ask for," Ioane said.