The Baltimore Ravens have not been shy about drafting prospects from Penn State in recent years. Since 2019, Baltimore has selected four players from the Nittany Lions, more than any other school during that timeframe (Trace McSorley, Odafe Oweh, Jordan Stout, Adisa Isaac).
That trend could continue in 2026, as reports emerged late last season that Baltimore had visited Penn State six times, tied with Oregon for their most-scouted collegiate program of the year . Clearly there are things to like in Happy
Valley, especially on the football front, and I decided to see them for myself as I took a scenic, snowy drive up to State College for Penn State’s Pro Day. Bright and early Wednesday morning, I entered Penn State’s indoor facility at Holuba Hall and waited to see some of the prospects that are likely to hear their names called during April’s draft. As with many Pro Days, many of the higher-profile prospects opted not to participate in athletic testing, likely due to a combination of feeling comfortable with their Combine results and wanting to avoid risking an injury. That group included QB Drew Allar, EDGE Dani Dennis-Sutton, RBs Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, DT Zane Durant, and OT Drew Shelton. All except for the running backs participated in positional drills, and Allen caught passes during Allar’s throwing session. Safety Zakee Wheatley, who opted to do the shuttle, the 40-yard dash, and the broad jump, was among the top performers on the day. The Archbishop Spalding alum and a Maryland native, did improve his broad jump from the Combine, posting a 10’4” jump to eclipse his previous 10’2” best in Indy. During media availability, Wheatley noted that he felt he could have done better at the Combine and decided to take another shot at testing in front of the scouts to potentially improve his stock.
Wheatley was originally recruited to Penn State as a cornerback but later transitioned to safety and credited the change in position with making him a more versatile and well-rounded defender. He looked sharp in individual drills adjusting to balls in the air, and while he only posted one interception during his college career, his ability to get into the right area has made him a disruptive force in the secondary.
The belle of the ball from this group for many Ravens fans, though, is interior O-lineman Olaivavega Ioane (No. 23 on Baltimore Beatdown’s Big Board), and I made it a point to watch his individual workouts. Ioane is projected as the top available guard in this class on most boards, making him a coveted prospect for several teams and thereby causing his stock to skyrocket. Vega, like the other top names, chose not to participate in activities other than his individuals, but he looked every bit as sharp as you’d hope for the work that we did get to see. He showed great lateral movement, made steamrolling blocks look easy, and showed great stability in exercises where the coaches put him at a disadvantage by pulling his arms behind his back to solely rely on his base to resist pressure. He even took some reps snapping the ball and discussed afterward that playing center isn’t outside of his skill set, citing situations last season when he had to fill in for snaps at center due to in-game injuries.
Even with his impressive workout results, it doesn’t showcase what is perhaps the best part of his overall skill set: his physicality. I asked Ioane about how much he felt that skill set had been refined from his time at Penn State, and he gave credit to the current and prior coaching staff for “putting the tools in the toolbox” that he uses to up his physical intensity.
One of the coaches putting Vega through the paces was none other than Baltimore’s new O-line coach, Dwayne Ledford:
I got to catch up with Ledford after the O-line group had finished their workouts, and while he was understandably mum on the exact level of interest the team has in Ioane, he acknowledged that Pro Days give him a great opportunity to get to know players better in their processing and seeing what they can do up close.
Elsewhere, if I had to guess which player is on Baltimore’s wish list after Vega, I would probably say Dani Dennis-Sutton (No. 31 on Baltimore Beatdown’s Big Board). While the Ravens did bring in veteran Trey Hendrickson to help the EDGE room, the pass rush may still need extra help, and Dennis-Sutton’s athletic upside is intriguing. His length and explosiveness point to an athlete that could be a real weapon in the pass rush, and he showed consistency in posting 42 tackles and 8.5 sacks in both the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Dennis-Sutton is also no stranger to Owings Mills, having graduated from McDonogh High School, and I asked him point-blank how he might feel if he became the next Penn State EDGE to join the Ravens.
As the workouts dwindled down for the day, I asked Zane Durant about his athleticism and what part of his game he felt would benefit the most at the next level. Durant emphasized that getting off the line of scrimmage quickly helped him become more disruptive and noted that he felt that speed was key in finishing plays. Durant posted the fastest 40 time among defensive tackles at the Combine (4.75 seconds), and while I did see him jump once in the snap drills, I can easily see his quickness being difficult to counter for offenses at the NFL level.
As intrigued as I was about potentially interviewing Drew Allar, his media scrum was, for lack of a more diplomatic term, a mob scene, and there was just no way I was going to be able to muscle my way in to ask him anything. Credit to him, though, he had a good day, and he certainly didn’t hurt his case in a class that doesn’t have a ton of top-tier QBs. Allar’s downfield accuracy was good all day, showing a lot of arm strength, and he acknowledged that he felt good putting together a strong performance after rehabbing a broken ankle in November of last year.
Only time will tell if any of these guys come home to roost in Baltimore, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see another Nittany Lion at The Castle soon.
