Former Penn State football offensive lineman Olaivavega Ioane emerged as the top NFL prospect from the Nittany Lions in the 2026 draft class.
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The Baltimore Ravens instantly became a favorite among mock drafts to select Ioane in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Baltimore has the 14th overall selection.
The Ravens experienced a multitude of bumps and bruises during the free agency period starting the new league year.
In the first day, they lost center Tyler Linderbaum, tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar, defensive end and outside linebacker Dre'Mont Jones, safeties Alohi Gilman and Ar'Darious Washington, and punter Jordan Stout. Bad news continue striking with defensive end Maxx Crosby's trade falling through as he did not pass his physical.
While this position seemed to be a top need for Baltimore, it quickly redeemed itself in signing defensive end Trey Hendrickson. As a result of filling in that need via free agency, Ioane is back as the favorite for the Ravens' first-round pick.
"The Ravens have more needs than just edge defender. Their interior offensive line needs reinforcements if the team is to once again compete at the top of the AFC," Pro Football Focus' Dalton Wasserman wrote.
Baltimore had the sixth-worst ranked guard grade in 2025, per PFF, at 55.2. Wasserman then noted that right guard Daniel Faalele will likely walk away during free agency. Others, such as left guards Andrew Vorhees and John Simpson, didn't post high grades during the 2025 season.
"All of that points to the Ravens' need for further improvement on the interior. The easiest player to project to them with the 14th overall pick is Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane, who earned an outstanding 87.0 PFF pass-blocking grade while allowing just four pressures in 2025. He paired that terrific production with a career-high 78.6 PFF run-blocking grade," Wasserman wrote.
"The Ravens need to find help at center, as well, given the departure of [Linderbaum], but Ioane offers an immediate solution at guard earlier in the draft."
The other four NFL draft prospects who Wasserman considered "perfect fits" following the first free agency wave were tight end Kenyon Sadiq with the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Mansoor Delane with the Kansas City Chiefs, offensive lineman Spencer Fano with the Los Angeles Chargers, and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. with the San Francisco 49ers.