Pick 14 Is Too High To Select Most Guards, But Not This One

Traditional values of position groups are ever-changing, and some prospects are special, like Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane

Penn State offensive lineman Vega Ioane (71) celebrates with running back Quinton Martin after the freshman scored a touchdown during the Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 13, 2024, in State College. The White team defeated the Blue team, 27-0. | Dan Rainville / USA TODAY NETWORK

I’m on record, based on hours of conversations with evaluators I deep trust, as saying left tackle Kadyn Proctor would be my preference for the Ravens to select at pick 14. But it’s by no means an easy call.

There is a strong case that could be made for multiple offensive linemen who have a real chance of being available when the Ravens are on first the clock, and Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane is also more than worthy of being the selection. He isn’t being mocked to the Ravens with such frequency for no good reason, and, if he is the pick, Ravens fans shouldn’t be disappointed because it’s not a sexy position.

Like we told you over a week ago – if the Ravens stay at 14 “they can’t (screw) this up” and like general manager Eric DeCosta said last week, Baltimore is indeed sitting in a “sweet spot.” Vega’s likely presence there is a significant factor in why this spot is so delicious/yummy/choose your adjective. This is no ordinary guard.

One longtime NFL evaluator, who did additional work on first-round offensive linemen last week, called me over the weekend with an update. The more he watched Iaone, and went back through some old scouting reports, the more convinced he was in a particular comp for him.

“I think there’s some Quenton Nelson in there brother,” he said. “I knew (Colts general manager Chris) Ballard caught a lot of (crap) for taking a guard that high (sixth overall), but he was right .. This kid (Iaone) is a mauler. You get a Pro Bowl player who you need to start right away at 14, I don’t care if it’s ‘just a guard.’ He isn’t just a guard. That’s a win.”

A few hours later I was going through the top half of the first round with a general manager when I asked about the Nelson comp.

“Man, I don’t know if I would go there, but he’s maybe just a tier under that,” the GM said. “People were talking about Nelson as a Hall of Fame guard. I’m still a little caught up on taking a guard at 14, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if they did it, and I’m by no means saying they shouldn’t do it … And it’s not like he’s going to get past 17 (Lions) or the Chargers (22).”

There were certainly some in the scouting community who thought Kyle Hamilton’s selection was too high for a safety who was probably going to spend a lot of time in the box - they were wrong. And Tyler Linderbaum’s selection came too high for a center. And that didn’t defer DeCosta in the least.

He spoke about Ioane in similar terms to several evaluators who I discussed the prospect with privately, he is closely tied to the Penn State program, and while some mock drafters have talked about moving the offensive linemen around the Ravens see him as an immediately dominant left guard. (One evaluator is adamant Ioane could be a more than adequate emergency left tackle, too).

“Straight from central casting of what you want from your guards to look like,” DeCosta said as he gushed about Ioane at the Liar’s Lunch presser.

Often, this time of year, hyperbole about one prospect is to keep fans and media off the scent of another player the team truly covets, In this case, I’d take it as a very real indicator of potential intent, and setting expectations that “just a guard” doesn’t apply to this player at pick 14.