The Baltimore Ravens have gone through an offseason makeover since missing the playoffs with an r 8-e9. For example, they replaced longtime head coach John Harbaugh with former Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, signed former All-Pro pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson, and drafted Penn State offensive guard Vega Ioane No. 14 overall.
The latter player was both the first guard and first Nittany Lion off the board, and for good reason. The 22-year-old earned first-team All-American and Big Ten honors last year, and he allowed just two sacks across 1,106 pass-blocking plays in four seasons with the Nittany Lions, per ESPN. He fills a need on paper for the Ravens, who ranked 21st in the NFL with 2.6 sacks allowed per game last season.
Ioane projects as an immediate starter at guard for Baltimore, but former Penn State tight ends and quarterbacks coach Jay Paterno thinks he has the potential to be more. In an exclusive interview with ClutchPoints before Ioane was drafted on Thursday, he weighed in on whether the 22-year-old can also excel as a tackle in the NFL.
“Oh, I think I think he’s got the ability. He’s shown he can play outside,” he said. “In the Big Ten, you’re facing really, really good pass-rush guys every week. So he’s played against some of the guys that are gonna be the elite guys in the NFL already…Whether he ends up inside or outside depends on what each team needs, but his ability to play all the positions makes him incredibly valuable. Because in the NFL, you have limited roster spots, so the guys who can do both are really valuable.”
While Ioane was primarily a guard at Penn State, he took snaps at tackle and center as well, per the York Daily Record. That versatility could come in handy for a Ravens team that lost center Tyler Linderbaum in free agency. Meanwhile, left tackle Ronnie Stanley missed at least three games each season from 2020 to 2023, so it doesn’t hurt to have insurance at the position protecting Lamar Jackson’s blindside.
“Plus, it shows that from a mental standpoint, he really has the ability to grasp both the inside and outside concepts,” Paterno continued. “Whether or not he can play outside depends on the team. He’s 6’4-and-a-half, which sounds tall to you and me. But at that level, they may want a 6’6 guy with a longer reach. But to me, you’re splitting hairs at that point.”
Indeed, Ioane is shorter than Stanley (6’6) and right tackle Roger Rosengarten (6’5) and has a shorter wingspan than Stanley. Ioane’s wingspan is 6’8 and five-eighths of an inch, while Stanley’s is seven feet and one-fourth and Rosengarten’s is 6’8 and three-eighths.
Having more size and reach helps linemen keep edge rushers in front of them, but Ioane’s mental acuity could make up for that moving forward.
Jay Paterno thinks Ravens’ Vega Ioane is on point from ‘the neck up’
Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
When asked how Ioane became so versatile, Paterno touted his athleticism and IQ.
“I think part of that, he’s very athletic. He did a lot of things on the move at Penn State…And the other part of it is the IQ, the ability to grasp the concepts,” he said. “Everybody in the NFL has ability, and you don’t get there unless you’re really an elite athlete. You know, people talk about 40 [-yard-dash] times, they look at it from our own perspective. They’d say, ‘Oh, this guy’s not that fast.’ Well, they are that fast. So he’s got everything, but the guys that really last in that league are the guys that can handle it from the neck up in terms of the mental part. I think he’s got that to where he’s got a chance to be a guy that stays in the league a long time, but he stays physically healthy.”
Skeptics could say that Paterno is biased, as he’s been on Penn State’s Board of Trustees since 2017 and has spent his life around the football program. Jay’s father Joe Paterno was the head coach from 1966 to 2011, and Jay played quarterback at the school from 1986 to 1990 before coaching from 1995 to 2011. However, his comments will age well if Baltimore deploys Ioane at multiple positions over the next few years.
For now, Ioane is projected as the Ravens’ starting left guard, per ESPN. The site also lists Stanley at left tackle, Danny Pinter at center, John Simpson at right guard, and Rosengarten at right tackle. Baltimore signed Pinter and Simpson in free agency this offseason, while Stanley and Rosengarten were drafted by the team in 2016 and 2024, respectively.
If Ioane is as versatile as Paterno says, then the Ravens will keep Jackson upright more than they did last season, even if other linemen get hurt.
The post Exclusive: Vega Ioane gets tackle endorsement from ex-Penn State assistant appeared first on ClutchPoints.
