It’s only taken one game for Vega Ioane to prove he belongs in the NFL, and there if there was still a Pro Bowl game, the rookie guard for the Baltimore Ravens would already justify an invite after an impressive debut during the 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1.
Ioane left Mike Renner of CBS Sports believing “he’s the closest thing I saw to a Pro-Bowler in the rookie class Week 1. A few reps he’d want back in pass pro, but sheer dominance otherwise.”
That’s lofty praise, but those words also represent the level the Ravens expect Ioane to reach. It’s why they made the former Penn State standout the 14th player selected in the 2026 NFL draft.
Pro Bowl recognition is still a thing, but the Ravens won’t mind if Ioane earns another type of league-wide accolade in his first year. That’s what RotoWire’s Theo Gremminger thinks can happen, and Ioane “Will become an All-Pro and one of the best players from this draft class.”
Ioane indeed looked like a “classic Ravens Pick” when he added his 6-foot-4, 326-pound frame to an already massive offensive line. Yet, the “absolute mauler” actually represents a departure from how the Ravens used to do things.
He doesn’t fit the mold favored by former head coach John Harbaugh, but Ioane’s an asset for Harbs’ successor Jesse Minter and the more expansive schemes of new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle.
Vega Ioane Offers Something Different Up Front
Ioane’s first exposure to Doyle’s offense in the regular season wasn’t always clean, but he was something different from the hat-on-hat powerhouses Harbaugh preferred along the interior. Like the scrappy bruiser he drafted ahead of Ioane for the New York Giants, and who also enjoyed a fine debut.
Ioane is a more nimble and versatile athlete. The 22-year-old lived up to that description by regularly sliding up the second level in the Ravens’ newly installed zone-based blocking schemes. Ioane also pulled into space in the running game and kicked out in pass-protection.
Move skills are crucial in Doyle’s offense. He needs linemen to quickly get onto linebackers ahead of Derrick Henry in the ground game, as well as securing moving pockets whenever franchise quarterback Lamar Jackson uses bootleg passes off play action.
Ioane ticking all those boxes against the Colts endorses the Ravens zeroing in on him before the draft. Eric DeCosta saw a modern NFL guard when he scouted Ioane, so the Ravens’ general manager was happy to pass on a prolific edge-rusher in the first round.
Doyle’s also happy to make more demands of different types of O-linemen, like Ioane and starting center Jovaughn Gwyn.
Ravens Will Continue Using Offensive Linemen in More Creative Ways
Trench warriors like Ioane adopting unfamiliar alignments, taking unusual blocking angles and switching positions on the move, defined the Ravens’ offense in Indianapolis.
The Ravens’ first touchdown was the most notable example, when Jackson ran in from five yards. He sped behind a line with All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley shifted to the right, while tight ends Durham Smythe and rookie Matthew Hibner doubled up on the quarterback’s blindside.
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Doyle regularly kept his linemen moving after the snap. The ploy helped release Henry for a big gain on an elaborately designed throwback screen.
Left guard John Simpson (71) pulled right to sell the first fake. Then Gwyn (54) slid up and to the left to lead the way for Henry.
Play designs like these put a lot on Ravens’ offensive linemen. They must be quick thinkers and fluid movers.
Fortunately, Ioane fits both descriptions and already looks like a foundational player for Doyle’s way of doing things.
Ravens’ Rookie Already ‘Closest’ to ‘Pro Bowler’ Level