Vega Ioane
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A key assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens is at the pro day of "top prospect" who's been "connected" to the team ahead of the 2026 NFL draft.
Free agency is still an ongoing process, but the Baltimore Ravens may already be zeroing in on one of their prime targets for the 2026 NFL draft. At least based on the presence of a key assistant coach at the pro day of a “top prospect” who’s “connected” to the Ravens by pre-draft buzz.
A report from Jeff Zrebiec and Zac Jackson of The Athletic on Wednesday, March 18 revealed “Ravens OL coach Dwayne Ledford is amongst those in the house” at Penn State’s pro day.
Zrebiec also pointed out how the Nittany Lions‘ “top prospect is G Vega Ioane who has been connected to Ravens throughout pre-draft process.”
Jeff Zrebiec
Penn State is having its Pro Day today and per my colleague @AkronJackson, Ravens OL coach Dwayne Ledford is amongst those in the house. Penn State’s top prospect is G Vega Ioane who has been connected to Ravens throughout pre-draft process.
The Ravens paying close attention to a potentially dominant interior offensive lineman makes sense. Especially when the team still has a hole at the right guard spot, where 2025 starter Daniel Faalele remains a free agent.
General manager Eric DeCosta could yet fill the spot by returning to the market to sign a Super Bowl winner who was a college teammate of franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson. Yet, putting a prospect with Ioane’s upside into the lineup would give the Ravens a young building block ready to anchor in for the next decade.
Ravens Interest in Vega Ioane Makes Sense
Ioane is a logical target for the Ravens. Not least because DeCosta has had success drafting interior linemen in recent years.
His most notable find was center Tyler Linderbaum, a 2022 first-round pick who became a three-time Pro Bowler. Linderbaum is no longer on the roster because the Ravens didn’t want to pay up, but DeCosta did spend $30 million to bring back a familiar face at left guard.
While the Ravens still don’t have a marquee replacement for Linderbaum, they could restore confidence about the heart of their O-line by drafting Ioane. The latter has already established a reputation no other member of this rookie class at his position can match.
As ESPN’s Field Yates put it, “If you’re a team in need for a first round guard, there’s one clear option: Vega Ioane. Like QB, RB and S, there’s no debate about the best player at the guard position in this year’s class.”
Yates’ lofty praise was endorsed by PennLive.com’s Nick Farabaugh, who also took a closer look at Ioane during the player’s pro day. Farabaugh noted how “the dense build isn’t hard to spot. He has hammers for hands and the jolt he stuns these bags is something I noted, and you see it on tape. That’s what allows him to get movement in run game.”
Nick Farabaugh
Penn State G Vega Ioane is going through OL drills.
In person a few things I note — the dense build isn’t hard to spot.
He has hammers for hands and the jolt he stuns these bags is something I noted, and you see it on tape.
That’s what allows him to get movement in run game.
Ioane sounds like a prototypical mauler up front for the Ravens. His expertise in the running game will no doubt appeal to Ledford, who takes over the position group after helping the Atlanta Falcons to dominate on the ground.
Ledford’s coaching would give Ioane the ideal start to life in the NFL. Yet, the Ravens could also decide to let the key assistant improve the performances of a couple of incumbent linemen.
Dwayne Ledford Has Internal Options for Right Guard Spot
Putting last year’s third-round pick Emery Jones Jr. in at right guard is still a viable option for the Ravens. Jones is versatile enough to make the switch, but he lacks experience after losing vital portions of his rookie campaign to a troublesome shoulder injury.
An alternative to trusting Jones would be to switch Andrew Vorhees over to the right. He has the size, but the 6-foot-6, 320-pounder has also dealt with his share of injury woes, despite surprisingly earning a hefty payday for snaps played.
Like Jones, Vorhees possesses the raw talent to justify a bigger role, but the Ravens would find a more long-term solution with greater upside by drafting Ioane.