OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — The Baltimore Ravens made the mock drafts look smart.
The Ravens took Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane with the 14th pick Thursday night. He's a player who was expected to be one of Baltimore's targets all along, and even the availability of Miami pass rushing star Rueben Bain Jr. wasn't enough to knock the Ravens off task. Ioane fills an obvious need for a Baltimore team that had problems in the middle of the offensive line
last season.
“It's hard to not see things for how they are — seeing a lot of mock drafts, things like that, of me coming there," Ioane said. “I've definitely pictured myself blocking for all those people over there — great players.”
The players he'll be joining are some of the biggest names in the sport — quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry.
“Everybody knows what great players those guys are,” Ioane said. "My thing is coming in and earning my keep. I’ve got to earn the right to block for those guys.”
The Ravens still have issues to resolve up front after losing star center Tyler Linderbaum to free agency. But Ioane, a second-team All-American despite Penn State's disappointing 2025 season, can help their interior. Baltimore went 8-9 last season, missed the playoffs and then fired coach John Harbaugh.
The Ravens addressed one obvious need — the pass rush — by signing Trey Hendrickson in free agency. Perhaps that's why they passed on Bain.
They almost didn’t have the 14th pick. Baltimore agreed to send two first-round picks to the Raiders for Maxx Crosby, then backed out of that deal before it became official.
The result: Ioane is now a Raven.
“I'm coming in with the mentality that I'm not trying to get beat. Nobody's going to touch my quarterback. It's as simple as that," he said. "In the run game, same mindset.”
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