Ravens take Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane with 14th pick, opting to shore up offensive line

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 have 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.

"We want to be a strong, imposing team," general manager Eric DeCosta said. "We probably haven't invested as many resources in the offensive line recently, and I think other than Tyler Linderbaum, this is the first first-round pick we've used on an offensive lineman probably since Ronnie Stanley (in 2016)."

Ioane played mostly left guard at Penn State. He gave up three sacks in 1,165 pass-blocking snaps - including a 28-start streak without allowing one, according to Pro Football Focus.

"He doesn't assume that he's going to be a great player. He puts in the work and the time," first-year coach Jesse Minter said. "Just couldn't be more excited to add his mentality, the way that he plays. His play style really matches what we're trying to do."

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."

That's an attitude that was belied by his relaxed tone when speaking to reporters Thursday.

"It's a switch that's taken me a while to perfect," Ioane said. "When I'm off the field, I can turn it off and be chill with the guys, be calm with the guys and just kick it. But when I'm on the field, nobody is going to stand in front of me and survive."

DeCosta wouldn't give any health details on defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike, who was lost early last season to a neck injury, but the GM did say he's in the team's offseason program. That's promising news for Baltimore.

"He is here, and is going to be here, as far as I know," DeCosta said. "And we're excited about that."

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