The Baltimore Ravens are coming away with another highly praised draft class following the 2026 NFL Draft. There’s plenty of talent, some steals, and several players could be day one contributors.
The team’s best pick, and most necessary one at that, was their selection of Vega Ioane, who the Ravens drafted at No. 14 in the first round. He’ll become an instant starter on the offensive line, and should fulfill the urgent duties of protecting Lamar Jackson. However, the apparent chalk pick didn’t come without some draft day chaos.
General manager Eric DeCosta has said that Baltimore initially tried to trade down from the No. 14 slot and even had a deal in place. However, the package changed as soon as they came up on the clock.
#Ravens GM Eric DeCosta told @MikeSilver that at No. 14 he believed he had a trade in place that would’ve kept Baltimore in the teens while adding extra 4th-round picks in each of the next two drafts, but once on the clock, the other team unexpectedly backed out and altered the… pic.twitter.com/OMAs6tpXAn
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) April 27, 2026
It should come as no shock that people are immediately reminded of the Maxx Crosby saga.
Baltimore Ravens still hearing Maxx Crosby talk after day-day whiff
It’s been almost two months since the Ravens backed out of the blockbuster Maxx Crosby trade. Crazy how time flies. The deal would’ve sent two first-round picks to the Las Vegas Raiders, and knowing Baltimore values draft picks more than possibly any other team, it’s for that reason that people believe Eric DeCosta got cold feet.
Although Crosby’s knee issues were the reason for that trade fallout, it’s been labeled as shady business. Now, it’s getting more attention after the Ravens weren’t able to push a trade-out from No. 14 overall across the finish line on Day 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft. People have referred to it as karma.
The decision to back out of the Crosby trade was the right move, though. When you’re trading two first-round picks, medicals need to be nearly perfect.
Sure, everyone knew that Crosby was coming off a knee injury, that he even played through, but there’s a belief his medicals didn’t check out long-term. I mean, the Ravens checked in with possibly the most-respected doctor in the NFL, Dallas Cowboys team physician Dr. Daniel Cooper. If he didn’t give the green light, there’s a very fair reason to back out.
There were also reports from both the Ravens and free agent signing Trey Hendrickson that the plan was to pair Crosby and Hendrickson as a Batman and…Batman type of duo.
Regardless, we won’t know if Crosby’s medicals were truly that worrying until the next few years of his NFL career play out. He’s an unbelievably talented player, but there clearly could’ve been some risk.
For Baltimore, despite their trade from No. 14 not working out, they should be extremely excited for the addition of Vega Ioane. While extra picks would’ve been cool, they needed a player like Ioane. Maybe it was all a bit of a blessing in disguise.
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