Knee-Jerk Reactions: Ravens Draft Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane at 14

With the 14th overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens selected Penn State G Olaivavega Ioane.

RSR staff react to the pick here.

Andrew Kordula

If Vega Ioane didn’t have “OG” next to his name, he doesn’t last until pick 14. He is a top 10 talent in this draft and someone who should contribute instantly and for years to come.

He is a mauler in the run game who also allowed zero sacks over the past two seasons. It’s hard to poke many holes in his game and Lamar Jackson should be smiling from ear to ear after this one.

It’s not a sexy pick, but you win in the trenches in this league so it’s the right one.

Jared Pinder

I do love this pick, but with Bain still on the board, this is interesting. Bain has off-field issues, so I think that’s why he fell (he went to Tampa at 15, by the way), and not concerns over his arm length. If the Ravens were really scared off by Bain’s auto accident, I get this pick because Ioane is the player I have wanted from the beginning. He is an awesome player at guard with great pass blocking tape and good enough run blocking tape. Again, Bain would have been excellent as well, but if those issues are real and the Ravens took him off their board, then I get it.

Now they have a great player at a position of need in guard. We can rest now.

Rob Shields

The Ravens made the pick they should have made. No Sadiq, no Bain. They wouldn’t have been the right picks.

This was best available meeting need.  Guard is not usually the best position to go to in Round 1, especially the top 15, but this isn’t a great draft and this guy is going to be very good. You take talent wherever it is especially in a weak first round.

Darin McCann

This was the pre-ordained pick — the obvious solution to a glaring, bewildering and maddening problem at right guard last year. Ioane is effective in both pass and run reps, competes with an edge and can play a critical role in doing battle with some of the beasts on the interior of opposing AFC North defenses. Was Bain an enticing thought? Oh, yeah.

But this was the right pick and puts a giant check mark on an enormous to-do task for this offseason.

Chris Schisler

This is a strong pick. It’s kind of disappointing because I wanted Bain. He’s just my kind of explosive, the apple of my draft eye. That stated, Ioane is exactly who we expected to get, he fills the biggest need, and he’s got a chance to be the next Marshal Yanda like player for the offensive line.

The Ravens continue to sit tight, wait it out, and get who they planned to take in the first place. They have to stop letting DeCosta do this. It’s almost symbolic that the Ravens drafted a human plow machine in Pittsburgh. The Ravens are entering a new era. This is a pick that can serve Baltimore in getting back to being the toughest and most physical team in the league. The Ravens have to get back to being the team that nobody wants to see, that leaves you with bruises that last for weeks. The Ravens have to get back to giving the Steelers the business end of this rivalry’s emotion.

The Ravens needed to get better in the trenches. This is a Lamar Jackson-friendly pick. I wanted Bain, but Ioane can still become the AFC North’s reckoning.

Chad Racine

Taking Ioane is not surprising at all and who I wanted all along. However I never thought Reuben Bain Jr. would be available.  Daniel Jeremiah has said all along that Ioane is the best offensive lineman in the draft. He’s also Brian Baldinger’s favorite player in the draft. The Ravens could have their next Marshal Yanda.

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Source: https://russellstreetreport.com/2026/04/23/knee-jerk-reactions/olaivavega-ioane/