Following another exciting NFL Draft, the Baltimore Ravens have once again left the weekend with a very talented class. They’ve revamped their roster at several key positions with a ton of young talent.
This team has filled most of their needs. The only spot that sticks out like a sore thumb is the center position, which general manager Eric DeCosta and company failed to answer with any of their 11 picks. The Ravens did make a major improvement to the offensive line, though.
With the 14th overall pick, Baltimore selected Penn State guard Vega Ioane. He’s a special player, and they are lucky to get him, not only because he fell to No. 14, but because DeCosta almost gambled by trading down. Thankfully, they ended up getting the exact player everyone thought they needed in Ioane.
You could call this a bit of a bailout.
Baltimore Ravens luck out in NFL Draft after team pulled rug on first-round trade
Following the 2026 NFL Draft, DeCosta mentioned they had a trade put together to move out of their spot at No. 14. The Ravens were supposed to net two extra fourth-round picks, all while stayed in the 15 to 19 range. However, the terms of the trade changed when it was Baltimore’s turn to pick. As a result, DeCosta made the choice to stay at No. 14 and take Ioane.
Although a lot of NFL fans are looking at this as the Ravens getting a taste of their own medicine for their controversial decision to back out of the Maxx Crosby trade, this should be looked at as one of those times a team is lucky that their trade fell through. I understand DeCosta loves draft capital, but if they moved down, no matter how much later they would’ve picked, their dreams of getting Ioane would’ve been in danger. They really needed the Penn State star.
With the way the board fell in the draft, Ioane was the easy selection. They simply had to address the interior offensive line. They couldn’t let Lamar Jackson continue to suffer behind poor play at that spot, and drafting Ioane makes their guard talent look like a complete 180-degree shift from where it was last season.
They went from Andrew Vorhees and Daniel Faalele in 2025 to Vega Ioane and John Simpson in 2026. That’s a drastic upgrade. The team is pretty much going from an unplayable guard duo to one that should be pretty consistent, and maybe even a top-10 group. There’s a lot of depth there with Emery Jones Jr. and Vorhees, too.
If the Ravens had traded down, Ioane could’ve still been on the board. However, that’s no guarantee. Based on the Jimmy Johnson trade value chart, it’s likely the move only would’ve been down a few spots, but that team coming up could’ve been making a move for Ioane. Or, a team right behind them could've been all-in on the guard. Simply put, it’s probably best that the trade didn’t work out.
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