The 2026 NFL Draft is roughly three months away as the end of January approaches. Penn State football players had a chance to sprinkle throughout the first round if the 2025 season when the way they expected, but now one lone Nittany Lion is carrying the group: offensive guard Olaivavega Ioane.
Micah Parsons and Abdul Carter represent Penn State as NFL award finalists
Ioane is the only Penn Stater appearing in mock drafts, including NFL's Daniel Jeremiah's. As the only Nittany Lion with first round potential, Jeremiah went as far as to say the redshirt junior might be the best lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft as well. He wrote:
"The Ravens need to upgrade at guard, and center Tyler Linderbaum is due to reach free agency in March. Ioane has a strong case to be considered the best offensive lineman in this year’s draft."
In Jeremiah's mock draft, he has Ioane going 14th overall to the Baltimore Ravens. He has two offensive tackles coming off the board before him: Utah junior Spencer Fano (third overall to the Arizona Cardinals) and Miami junior Francis Mauigoa (fourth overall to the Tennessee Titans).
Vega Ioane projected as first round, 14th overall pick by NFL in 2026 NFL Draft
Ioane redshirted his 2022 season, making four game appearances for the Nittany Lions. Since then, he played in 40 games: 13 in 2023, 16 in 2024, and 11 in 2025. He started in five games as a redshirt freshman, all 16 contests as a redshirt sophomore, and all 11 in his final season repping the blue and white.
The left guard missed one game, at Iowa, in 2025 due to injury and skipped the Pinstripe Bowl after declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft. He played the fourth-most snaps out of any player on the team, logging 614 snaps on offense, and didn't allow one sack all season.
Before the 2025 season, Ioane was named a 2025 Walter Camp Preseason FBS All-American Second-Team selection. Following the disappointing season, he was one of the few bright spots. The Associated Press recognized Ioane as a second-team All-American.