HEAD COACH JESSE MINTER AND EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT AND GENERAL MANAGER ERIC DECOSTA
Eric DeCosta Opening Statement: "Welcome guys. I think it was a successful start to our draft. We are very excited to get 'Vega' [Olaivavega Ioane] here in Baltimore. He's a guy that we've studied at length. We had a chance to spend some time with him at the [NFL] Combine and also here in Baltimore at length. [He's a] great, great kid, an excellent player. Obviously, we have a lot of ties to the Penn State football program. I had the chance to watch him play a couple of years at both left and right guard. [He's] physical, tough, and very athletic for his size. [He's] excellent in pass protection and a great fit for our offense and what we're trying to accomplish. And we're just very, very happy to have him here."
When it came to pick 14 – because there were a couple of surprises up there for you guys – did you consider it an easy decision once you looked at the board with the end goal with G Vega Ioane? (Jamison Hensley)
(DeCOSTA "I wouldn't say it was an easy decision. There were certainly some really good players still available, and guys that we really liked quite a bit. But in the end, I think as we looked at it and just talked to our scouts and our coaches especially, we felt that Vega [Ioane] was the best pick for us."
Did you have interest in that pick? Were you weighing any trade possibilities when you were on the clock? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(DeCOSTA) "We did get a call that just kind of ended up just falling apart. We did consider potentially a trade back, but it would have to have made sense for us based on the players still available and the amount of players that we really wanted at that spot. So, for us to go back, basically we would have had to ensure that we would have gotten one of a handful of players. It didn't really materialize at the end, and the other team decided they wanted to make the pick and clarified things for us. It was easy for us to turn the card in at that time."
Your first term as the head coach in that war room, what was your experience like tonight? (Pete Gilbert)
(MINTER) "It was great. I mean, these guys do a phenomenal job. And I think between the coaches, the front office, we all put a lot of work into evaluating players and kind of figuring out what we're looking for. The guy that we got, I think, as a first pick, is the epitome of what we want the team to be like: a line of scrimmage, dominant team. So, [Vega Ioane is a] really physical, really great player, really great person, [and I] really enjoyed getting to know him a little bit on the visit. He's everything that we want our guys to be."
Do you anticipate G Vega Ioane playing at left guard? (Cordell Woodland)
(MINTER) "I think we'll figure that out. [Vega Ioane is] a great player. He's actually played both guards. He actually started one game at center a couple years ago, so I think he's got a lot of versatility, and we'll figure out the best way to get our best players on the field."
When you look at how much you have invested in QB Lamar Jackson, how much you have invested in RB Derrick Henry, do you feel like G Vega Ioane is sort of investing in that investment, so to speak, and making sure that your backfield is protected? (Kyle Goon)
(DeCOSTA) "I think that's right. We want to be a strong imposing team, and we probably haven't invested as many resources in the offensive line, recently. I think other than probably Tyler Linderbaum, this is the first, first-round pick we've used on an offensive lineman probably since Ronnie Stanley. Before that, I believe probably Ben Grubbs, in 2007 when we doubled up that year with [Marshal] Yanda and Grubbs. So, I think this guy just really checked off every single box for us as a player: mentality, personality, ability, skill level, athletic ability, physicality, all those different things – at a very high level. We love when we can get the best player at his position in the draft, which we've done a lot and kind of take pride in that. So, we think he's a great fit for us and certainly going to help the players around him on the offensive line. They'll help him as well, but I think he's going to make us better and really make the middle of our offense very strong."
I know you guys have spent extensive time with G Vega Ioane and other prospects, but I guess the first time we got to meet him, he described himself as a 'mauler.' And he specifically said, 'I'm not going to let anyone touch my quarterback.' I guess just with this being your first night as head coach, what's your reaction to that? Does it give you a charge? (Josh Tolentino)
(MINTER) "Yes, that gives me a real charge. When you meet [Vega Ioane], and you get to know him, that's his mentality. But he also has this humility about him, which kind of just sparks how hard he works. He doesn't assume that he's going to be a great player. He puts in the work and the time. And just really, I just couldn't be more excited to add – his mentality, the way that he plays; his play style really matches what we're trying to do."
With run game coordinator and offensive line coach Dwayne Ledford, what was his reaction and what was his evaluation? What'd he have to say about it? (Giana Han)
(MINTER) "I think [run game coordinator and offensive line] Coach [Dwayne] Ledford was pretty excited. There may be a video that comes out at some point where you'll see his reaction, but he was very excited. Obviously, [Vega Ioane] is a guy that we put a lot of time in the 'eval' process. [He's] probably very, very, very, very high up there on Coach Ledford's list of favorite players in the draft, and it worked out for us."
You love the misdirection before the draft and not being predictable. Were you concerned in the days ahead of this draft that so many people were connecting you to G Vega Ioane, that he might get away from you, and teams would trade up in front of you to get him? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(DeCOSTA) "You're always a little concerned. You're not really sure, especially where there are some teams picking in front of us that know us pretty well. [It was] kind of similar to last year with [Malaki] Starks, I think. But in the end, we just kind of stick to the board and let the board fall to us, which is something I learned from [executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] many years ago. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. And if it hadn't worked out, we had other players that we would've picked – excellent players. So I thought, I said we were in a good spot leading up to the draft, and it sort of played out that way for us for what we wanted to accomplish with our team, with our roster. There were several players that really would've fit us this year and help make us a better football team. Fortunately, we got one of our favorite guys [in Vega Ioane]."
Were you surprised that Tampa Bay Buccaneers Edge Rueben Bain Jr. was still there, that he fell in the draft? (Jeff Zrebiec)
(DeCOSTA) "[Rueben Bain Jr.] is a great player, too. And I think a player that – again, another guy – he's a great selection by the Bucs, I think – but he would've made a great Raven. Those are the tough decisions that we have to make. But in the end, I really feel like we got a guy that really fits us, personality-wise and ability-wise, and just everything that we want our guys to be, I think Vega [Ioane] kind of epitomizes that. We're excited to see what he can do."
You've touched on this a little bit, owner Steve Bisciotti mentioned it back in January, with your "best player available" mentality, but did you feel like offensive line was really the most important need for you guys and to address that really early on? (Brian Wacker)
(DeCOSTA) "I think it is definitely one of the positions that we prioritized. There were some others – there are some others – and we'll hopefully continue to have a chance to address those players. I need some more picks, because there are some good players that are going to be available, but we do hope to definitely attack some other position groups as well. I think that when you think you're good with the roster, things happen, right? And so, we want to be strong at every position with as much depth as possible. And that's why we're excited, I think, about the next couple of days and the amount of picks that we have, and the opportunities that present themselves."
I think in the first round tonight, nine offensive linemen were taken. Leading up to this draft, how good did you think this offensive line class was? (Jamison Hensley)
(DeCOSTA) "I think [this offensive line class is] very deep, very deep. And the fact is, there's still some really good players [available]. Normally, if you saw nine players go on any given round, you would think that it was going to thin out really quickly. And I think still now, looking at those positions, there's still some excellent football players available. And I think it speaks to the cyclical nature of the draft. Every year there are different positions that are strong, and other positions [that are] maybe not quite as strong. Last year, [it] happened to be [that] defensive line was really strong. This year, I think offensive line is certainly one of the better positions in the draft, and I think the other teams recognize that as well."
You mentioned that you feel that G Vega Ioane is best at his position in this draft. Relative to other guards, did you feel something about his ceiling and his tactical ability and physical gifts made it important to get the best guy at guard, relative to other guards in the draft? I know that might be complicated because you might draft more guards here. (Kyle Goon)
(DeCOSTA) "So for me, a big thing is just watching the tape, evaluating and seeing everything, how the guy does all those testing and things and talking to people. But a big part of the process for me is really meeting with the players. And that's really a way for me to separate these guys. I've been blessed to be here 30 years, and I can't imagine how many players I've met, but you start to build up a bank of memories and different interviews and different players and things. And meeting [Vega Ioane] was impressive and left an impression with me. He reminds me – and I told him this, and he laughed because he said somebody else has told him this – he reminds me a little bit of one of my favorite Ravens of all time: Haloti Ngata. And just the way that he was with me in the office, and we were talking and laughing and his maturity; the way that he – even though he's a younger person – even the way that he carried himself with a quiet confidence stood out. So in the end, as you're trying to split all these guys up, because these guys are all really good players. They're the best in the world in what they do in college football. In the end, these interviews and these visits, they end up really kind of becoming the nuance of how you kind of split hairs with these guys."
You've talked about some of the challenges of taking a guard in the first round because of the fifth-year valuation aspect of it. So, to take a guard that high, do you essentially have to believe that that could be a Pro Bowl player and that it could be one of the best guys in the league at that position? (Childs Walker)
(DeCOSTA) "That would be the hope. That would be the goal. And I think that we have seen the guard market start to mirror more of the tackle market. We saw this year, the center market trying to catch up. I think teams [and] people are realizing that these offensive linemen are special athletes who do very unique things. They're hard to find. And so, that market has grown and changed, and we'll adjust with it. But again, I firmly believe that [Vega Ioane] is going to be a really, really good player with us for the next five years and hopefully longer than that. There are obviously challenges with the way that that [the] offensive line [and] the fifth-year option is all kind of encompassed with tackles, guards and centers, but I'm not going to worry about that today. That's something for me to worry about three years from now."
Beyond just fortifying past protection, how important was it to get someone who could be a people mover in the run game to open up run lanes for RB Derrick Henry? (Jonas Shaffer)
(DeCOSTA) "I think that's been a hallmark of the Ravens over the last seven years, is the ability to run the football and be a physical, downhill team that can just take over games in crunch time and the fourth quarter and put teams away. And so, I think Vega [Ioane] really fits that mentality in the way that he plays. I think it's a really good fit for us in terms of what we like to be upfront, and I think our fan base is going to love him, too."
I know you look for every piece of little information. There was a viral video of Vega Ioane helping a staff member before a game as they were walking out of the tunnel. Does that stuff matter to you guys? (Jamison Hensley)
(DeCOSTA) "Yes, we look at all that stuff. I think there's another player who I watched his high school wrestling videos. All that stuff matters in some little, small way. And so yes, I saw that [video]. [Vega Ioane] helps the guy push the [equipment cart]. Yes, that was really cool. I think it speaks to his humility and just who he is as a person [and] how his parents raised him, for sure. But yes, all that stuff, we look at all their social media. I always tell my kids, 'Be careful, because people like me are scouring the internet looking at your social media.' So yes, I think that stuff is really important."
From a technical football standpoint, what stood out to you most about G Vega Ioane? (Brian Wacker)
(MINTER) "I think, especially with a guard, [Vega Ioane] is not scheme dependent. So, this guy could run any type of run scheme [or] any type of pass-blocking scheme. It's not like, 'Well, he fits in a scheme where they turn and run,' or, 'He fits in a scheme where they double team people.' He can do all that. And he also lined up as an off-the-ball TE, and would motion and knock people out, slice blocking and things like that. So, I just think [he has] the versatility to really do everything at a really high level [and] his athleticism. And then I think when you watch the tape, [with] his play style and his play demeanor, you can sort of feel like he's really trying to block these guys really, really with the right mindset. And so, I think all that really jumps off when you watch his tape."
Just touching on another piece of news. WR Zay Flowers, a two-time Pro Bowler for you. Was it important for you guys to pick up his fifth-year option? And ideally, would you like to see an extension done at some point in the future? (Josh Tolentino)
(DeCOSTA) "Yes, for sure. I actually was shocked you guys didn't ask me about that at the pre-draft press conference. [That was the] first time in how many years? It's been a while. Of course, I would've told you guys. But no, we're fired up. I love Zay [Flowers]. He's earned this. He's a tremendous player with a great work ethic and a great personality. [His personality is] infectious, [and he's] very talented. He's a leader, and the goal would be to get a long-term deal with him if we can. And I fully expect we will. He's got a great agent, and he's a great person. I know he wants to be here."
There were reports a few days ago that DL Nnamdi Madubuike underwent surgery last week. I know you're focused on the draft, but is there anything you can share about that and the idea that you guys might be hopeful he'll be able to play? (Sam Cohn)
(DeCOSTA) "Yes, there's not much I can say. I will say that Nnamdi [Madubuike] is here. He is here in the building – not tonight – but he's here now in the offseason program. But, that's internal business. It's his business. If he wants to say anything about anything, he's more than welcome to. But as a club, I think our policy is to protect the players and not have any kind of statements regarding their health or anything personal like that. But he is here, and he's going to be here, as far as I know, and we're excited about that."
