This offseason has not gone the way the Baltimore Ravens might have envisioned it, which puts even more pressure on general manager Eric DeCosta during the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.
Beyond the Ravens’ blockbuster trade to acquire Maxx Crosby falling through, and eventually settling on signing edge rusher Trey Hendrickson, instead, Baltimore also lost Pro Bowl center Tyler Linderbaum, athletic tight end Isaiah Likely, and field-flipping punter Jordan Stout, among other departures in the first wave of free agency.
Baltimore Ravens’ perfect draft pick revealed
USATSI 25099772 168400517 lowres scaled
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane (71) against the Boise State Broncos during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Over at Pro Football Focus, NFL analyst Dalton Wasserman revealed how the early moves in free agency across the NFL impact each team ahead of the NFL Draft.
The bigget takeaway for the Ravens, is the desperate need to upgrade the interior of the offensive line.
According to Wasserman, Baltimore selecting Penn State stalwart guard Vega Ioane now makes the most sense for DeCosta and the Ravens.
“Ravens’ guards earned a 55.2 PFF overall grade in 2025,” Wasserman points out for PFF. “Which ranked sixth worst in the NFL. Right guard Daniel Faalele is a free agent and seems highly unlikely to return. Left guard Andrew Vorhees enters the final year of his contract in 2026 after posting a 54.6 PFF overall grade last season. The team brought in John Simpson, who earned a similarly below-average 56.9 PFF overall grade with the Jets in 2025.
“All of that points to the Ravens’ need for further improvement on the interior. The easiest player to project to them with the 14th overall pick is Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane, who earned an outstanding 87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing just four pressures in 2025. He paired that terrific production with a career-high 78.6 PFF run-blocking grade.”
Ioane is a plug-and-play interior starter at the next level, who was a dominant piece of the Penn State offensive line, and a force up front in the nation’s most competitive promise.
If Ioane is on the board when the Ravens are on the clock, the former Nittany Lions guard could be the centerpiece of a rebuilt interior in Baltimore.
NFL Draft
Dec 31, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane (71) against the Boise State Broncos during the Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images