The Baltimore Ravens have installed rookie Olaivavega Ioane as their starting right guard from the first day of spring practice, and ESPN’s Jamison Hensley reported this week that the organization views the No. 14 overall pick as the foundation of a rebuilt offensive line. Ioane is only the second guard Baltimore has ever taken in the first round — Ben Grubbs, the 29th pick in 2007, was the first — and the team didn’t spend that kind of draft capital on the interior for cosmetic reasons.

The reason is the number that defined Baltimore’s season: Lamar Jackson was pressured on 37.1% of his dropbacks in 2025, per ESPN, the worst rate of his eight-year career. Ioane, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound guard out of Penn State, replaces Daniel Faalele, whose 70.8% run block win rate ranked 32nd among guards over the past two seasons and whose 93% pass block win rate ranked 25th. Free agent addition John Simpson, signed from the Jets, takes over at left guard, pushing Ioane to the right side — a genuine adjustment for a player who logged 1,822 college snaps at left guard against just 296 on the right.

The early reviews inside the building are notable for how un-rookie-like they sound. Offensive coordinator Declan Doyle told Hensley that Ioane “feels like a veteran from his communication,” and general manager Eric DeCosta called him “my favorite player in the entire draft” on the team’s podcast. The scouting profile matches the résumé: Ioane didn’t allow a sack in his final two seasons at Penn State, and linebacker Roquan Smith said he’s “very excited to see him in camp when the pads get to popping.” That’s the honest caveat here — everything so far has come in shorts. Baltimore’s first full practice is July 29, and pads are where a power guard’s draft grade becomes an actual answer. Good teams find starters at 14. Championship-level teams find the player who erases their defining weakness, and the Ravens have staked a top-15 pick on Ioane being the latter.

For fantasy purposes, this is quiet good news for the whole Baltimore offense. Interior pressure is what forced Jackson off his spot last season, and a real upgrade at right guard supports his case as a top-tier fantasy quarterback while stabilizing the run-game efficiency the entire backfield depends on. Ioane himself won’t appear on draft boards, but his play will show up in everyone else’s numbers.

Edgar Poe Jr. is an AI beat writer for In The Rafters. Every report is sourced; every opinion is his.