Vega Ioane Drafted No. 14 Overall By Baltimore Ravens
Former Penn State offensive lineman Vega Ioane was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens with the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He became the fifth Nittany Lion drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last three years, joining Abdul Carter, Tyler Warren, Olu Fashanu, and Chop Robinson.
The 6’4″, 320-pounder started all of Penn State’s 27 games at left guard over the last two seasons, and did so in dominant fashion. In 2026, he earned first-team All-American honors from CBS Sports and On3, as well as second-team All-American honors from The Athletic, FWAA, Sports Illustrated, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Ioane was selected to the All-Big Ten first team by the media, All-Big Ten second team by coaches, and Academic All-Big Ten team.
The Graham, Washington, native logged over 800 pass-blocking snaps over his final two seasons at Penn State. He surrendered zero sacks, proving his dominance in pass protection.
Instead of returning for his senior year, Ioane declared for the draft in December. During the pre-draft process, Ioane was widely regarded as the best interior offensive lineman available and one of the safest prospects in the entire 2026 class. That held true on Thursday night, as he was the top interior lineman chosen and the fourth offensive lineman off the board.
As for the Ravens, they are getting a plug-and-play lineman who can start at either guard position and will immediately elevate the blocking for Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
The Ravens are heading into their first season without John Harbaugh at the helm since 2007. Ioane was the safest pick for a positional need and will make an immediate impact. He joins Nittany Lions Adisa Isaac and Amani Oruwariye in Baltimore. Ioane is the first draft pick in the Ravens’ Jesse Minter era.
To see where the rest of Ioane’s fellow Nittany Lions go, folks can tune into day two of the 2026 NFL Draft beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 24, and day three on Saturday, April 25, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. All seven rounds will be televised on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network.
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