{"id":870715,"date":"2026-04-20T17:02:12","date_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:02:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870715\/"},"modified":"2026-04-20T17:02:12","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T17:02:12","slug":"pick-14-is-too-high-to-select-most-guards-but-not-this-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/870715\/","title":{"rendered":"Pick 14 Is Too High To Select Most Guards, But Not This One"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m on record, based on hours of conversations with evaluators I deep trust, as saying left tackle Kadyn Proctor would be my preference for the Ravens to select at pick 14. But it\u2019s by no means an easy call<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There is a strong case that could be made for multiple offensive linemen who have a real chance of being available when the Ravens are on first the clock, and Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane is also more than worthy of being the selection. He isn\u2019t being mocked to the Ravens with such frequency for no good reason, and, if he is the pick, Ravens fans shouldn\u2019t be disappointed because it\u2019s not a sexy position.<\/p>\n

Like we told you over a week ago \u2013 if the Ravens stay at 14 \u201cthey can\u2019t (screw) this up\u201d and like general manager Eric DeCosta said last week<\/a>, Baltimore is indeed sitting in a \u201csweet spot.\u201d Vega\u2019s likely presence there is a significant factor in why this spot is so delicious\/yummy\/choose your adjective. This is no ordinary guard.<\/p>\n

One longtime NFL evaluator, who did additional work on first-round offensive linemen last week, called me over the weekend with an update. The more he watched Iaone, and went back through some old scouting reports, the more convinced he was in a particular comp for him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there\u2019s some Quenton Nelson in there brother,\u201d he said. \u201cI knew (Colts general manager Chris) Ballard caught a lot of (crap) for taking a guard that high (sixth overall), but he was right .. This kid (Iaone) is a mauler. You get a Pro Bowl player who you need to start right away at 14, I don\u2019t care if it\u2019s \u2018just a guard.\u2019 He isn\u2019t just a guard. That\u2019s a win.\u201d<\/p>\n

A few hours later I was going through the top half of the first round with a general manager when I asked about the Nelson comp.<\/p>\n

\u201cMan, I don\u2019t know if I would go there, but he\u2019s maybe just a tier under that,\u201d the GM said. \u201cPeople were talking about Nelson as a Hall of Fame guard. I\u2019m still a little caught up on taking a guard at 14, but I wouldn\u2019t be surprised at all if they did it, and I\u2019m by no means saying they shouldn\u2019t do it \u2026 And it\u2019s not like he\u2019s going to get past 17 (Lions) or the Chargers (22).\u201d<\/p>\n

There were certainly some in the scouting community who thought Kyle Hamilton\u2019s selection was too high for a safety who was probably going to spend a lot of time in the box – they were wrong<\/a>. And Tyler Linderbaum\u2019s selection came too high for a center. And that didn\u2019t defer DeCosta in the least. <\/p>\n

He spoke about Ioane in similar terms to several evaluators who I discussed the prospect with privately, he is closely tied to the Penn State program, and while some mock drafters have talked about moving the offensive linemen around the Ravens see him as an immediately dominant left guard. (One evaluator is adamant Ioane could be a more than adequate emergency left tackle, too).<\/p>\n

\u201cStraight from central casting of what you want from your guards to look like,\u201d DeCosta said as he gushed about Ioane at the Liar\u2019s Lunch presser. <\/p>\n

Often, this time of year, hyperbole about one prospect is to keep fans and media off the scent of another player the team truly covets, In this case, I\u2019d take it as a very real indicator of potential intent, and setting expectations that \u201cjust a guard\u201d doesn\u2019t apply to this player at pick 14.<\/p>\n

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