Historically, drafting a guard this high would be considered a luxury move. But, given the present times, the Baltimore Ravens don’t just see it as strategic protection for their quarterback but also desperately need a quality guard in their offensive line. Luckily, they got the best one in the draft in Olaivavega Ioane with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. This was the first time since 2007 that the team drafted a guard this high in the draft. 

Ioane also entered the draft widely viewed as the consensus top pure guard in the class, though it was expected that Ioane would be a top pick; the Ravens’ making him their first pick sent a clear signal across the league. According to general manager Eric DeCosta, drafting a guard is going to give them returns, both financially and game-wise.

“I think the discussion now is like offensive linemen are really valuable,” Eric DeCosta said on the latest episode of The Lounge podcast. “You’ve seen the guard market trying to catch up to the tackle market. You’ve seen the centre market this year finally make a big jump. Teams are paying money for guards. I think there’s a scarcity of really good offensive linemen, so that drives the market up, especially if they can pass protect.

“I think then that argument probably gets thrown out because it’s a passing league, and most of the premium positions have kind of symbiosis with the passing game. So, if you get a guy like Vega, for instance, who’s a stone called assassin and pass-pro, then that probably increases his value a little bit.”

In most NFL drafts, teams build around quarterbacks first. Then the NFL teams usually prioritize tackles and pass rushers because those positions directly impact the passing game. Meanwhile, guards are typically run-oriented players who pull and block, which is why they rarely get selected in the first round. DeCosta and a few others are changing this norm.

Since the NFL is becoming more pass-oriented, the value of Guards has increased significantly. Now, interior pressure can disrupt a quarterback just as quickly as edge pressure, and that has forced NFL teams to rethink positional values in the OL. We’ve seen this in 2018, when the Indianapolis Colts selected Guard Quenton Nelson with their No.6 overall pick in the first round. He had an immediate impact on the Colts’ OL, which ranked 4th in pass blocking in 2018.

Atlanta Falcons guard Chris Lindstrom, also drafted as the 14th pick, allowed zero sacks in the 2021 season. He is currently in the midst of a $105 million contract. Vega Ioane is getting a four-year, fully guaranteed $24.23 million rookie deal with a fifth-year option attached. Lindstrom’s rookie deal was worth $14.7 million. This is a clear jump in the guard market.

“I do believe, looking at how things have transpired over the last few years, that the old argument that ‘tackles were way more important than guards and guards are way more important than centers,’ it’s kind of morphed into, ‘you know what, they’re all pretty important.’ And we gotta be as strong as we can upfront. We have no chance. So, for us, it made a lot of sense to do that,” DeCosta added.

The priority here is Lamar Jackson. Because of the way the QB suffered last year, Baltimore had to get someone to bring more protection for him. Ioane comes in as the perfect solution for that.

Why drafting Olaivavega Ioane in the first round was key for the Ravens

Last year, the offensive line was ranked 28th in the league by PFF in pass-blocking. It shows how much of a bad time Lamar Jackson is in the passing attack. He saw pressure on 37.1% of his dropbacks last year; the worst numbers to come in this stat in his entire career. Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees, the two linemen guarding Jackson, failed big time.

Faalele later signed with the New York Giants, while Vorhees now projects more as depth with Ioane’s arrival and John Simpson expected to hold a starting role on the interior.

Vega Ioane was always projected to be a starter, and he will be so. He is phenomenal when it comes to pass-blocking, having allowed only two sacks in 1,106 pass-blocking plays during his Penn State career. Across his final two seasons alone, he did not allow a single sack and surrendered just one quarterback hit over more than 1,100 pass-protection snaps, reinforcing why he was viewed as one of the safest interior linemen in the class. This would allow Jackson some much-needed time to throw. Because of all the upsides he brings, the staff is sold on Ioane being their man.

“The guy that we got as a first pick is the epitome of what we want the team to be like: line of scrimmage-dominant team,” new head coach Jesse Minter said after drafting Ioane. “Really physical, really great player, really great person.”

DeCosta shared those same thoughts. “This guy just really checked off every single box for us as a player. Mentality, personality, ability, skill level, athletic ability, physicality, all those different things. at a at a very high level. We love when we can get the best player at his position in the draft, which we’ve done a lot, and kind of take pride in that.”

As defensive tackles become more explosive, NFL teams need strong, anchor-type guards who can handle bull rushes. This is the reason why Ioane’s draft stock skyrocketed. With his 6’4”, approximately 326-pound frame, he’s going to be a mean threat for opposing defenses. His selection also continued Penn State’s strong offensive-line pipeline into the NFL, making him the program’s 45th first-round pick and its first guard taken in the opening round since Jeff Hartings in 1996. He also became the eighth Nittany Lion drafted by Baltimore, further strengthening an already familiar scouting connection between the Ravens and Penn State’s program.