All eyes are on Baltimore Ravens’ rookie guard Vega Ioane in 2026. As the team prepares for offseason activities, Ioane’s development will be crucial to the team's performance. The most important task on the field might be blocking for Lamar Jackson.
Jackson hasn’t really had consistent protection from his interior offensive line in recent years. In 2025, the lackluster performance in that area was simply unbelievable to watch. It felt like everything that could go wrong went wrong, and somehow worse than anyone could’ve imagined.
Thankfully, it already sounds like Ioane will come ready and then some. Leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft, he passed every test with flying colors, and after being drafted 14th overall by Baltimore, he’s continued to meet the high standard he holds himself to. He’s impressing everyone on the coaching staff, including new offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford.
The Baltimore Ravens already coming away very impressed with Vega Ioane
On an episode of the Baltimore Ravens The Lounge Podcast with Ryan Mink and Garrett Downing, Dwayne Ledford had the highest of praise for Vega Ioane. Specifically, it was Ioane’s attitude and mentality that blew Ledford away. It’s not easy to do what he’s doing at 22 years old, but he’s hitting the ground running.
“He was a pro without being a pro yet,” Ledford said. “And just his approach. You can tell it’s important to him; he loves football. He wants to do right. He’s a very smart player that knows the ‘why’. He wants to be the best version of himself, and you can see that every day.”
Talk about a player who’s wise beyond his years. He hasn’t even played a down of NFL football, but it’s clear he’s going to do whatever it takes to achieve greatness. That’s the exact kind of player you need in the trenches.
We know Ioane is dominant on the field. He was as consistent as you can get in pass protection at Penn State, allowing just four pressures and a grand total of zero sacks in 2025. Yes, you read that right. Zero sacks. However, perhaps more important than anything is how a football player approaches that game. By Ledford’s comments, Ioane approaches it like a season vet, which should help him to work like sponge as he starts beside free agent signing John Simpson.
After last year, almost anything Ioane gives could be better than what Baltimore had between Daniel Faalele and Andrew Vorhees last year. Thankfully, by the sounds of it, Ioane is ready to give way more than that. He was respected as possibly the best guard in the draft since Quenton Nelson, and now he’s getting closer to proving it.
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