Vega Ioane looks every bit the part of a starting NFL guard, but the Ravens' rookie first-round pick is making an adjustment as his career starts.
After predominantly playing left guard in college at Penn State, Ioane got work at right guard during rookie minicamp.
Before drafting Ioane, the Ravens signed veteran John Simpson, who has played exclusively at left guard the past three seasons, including in 2023 with the Ravens.
There's still a long way in determining the Ravens' starting offensive line, and Head Coach Jesse Minter and Offensive Coordinator Declan Doyle said they'll figure out which guard plays on which side as the summer rolls on, but it's clear that the Ravens want to get their rookie acclimated to playing both sides.
"It's definitely a little bit of work to get used to again, but there isn't much to it," Ioane said.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ioane played 135 snaps at right guard during his junior season and 149 in his sophomore year. He also played 17 snaps at center in 2024. But that's compared to 1,349 snaps at left guard the past two seasons.
While he'll certainly play guard in the NFL, Ioane's versatility to line up on either side was a bonus in the Ravens' assessment. He credited his coach at Penn State for rotating their offensive linemen routinely at practice to get them used to it.
Doyle also previously said after the draft that it's easier for younger players to switch sides of the offensive line because they haven't had as many reps and as much muscle memory built up on one side.
"Really a transition time like this where [Ioane]'s coming from college to pro, it's a really good time to make that change if you're moving around," Doyle said.
Overall, Ioane made a strong first impression in his first couple days of practice as a Raven. Minter said Ioane met the expectation of what he wanted him to look like coming off the ball. Now it's about mastering the details the way the Ravens want.
"It's about really starting from scratch, and these guys need to learn everything about how we operate," Minter said. "Now, Vega is so athletic and so powerful that I know he can learn the footwork, but it has to be the exact way that [Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line] Coach [Dwayne] Ledford wants it done."
