Ravens Land Top OL Prospect in Latest Mock Draft

There's no sugarcoating that the Ravens had one of the worst offensive guard tandems in the league last year, with 2023 seventh-rounder Andrew Vorhees on the left and converted tackle Daniel Faalele on the right side. Linderbaum's typical consistently elite level of play suffered at times as a result of the ineptitude and often lumbering liabilities that his teammates on both sides of him were each week and at most inopportune times, but he still managed to get voted to a third straight Pro Bowl in spite of them.

With Ioane, the Ravens would be getting an immediate upgrade at either spot, but with Faalele slated to be an unrestricted free agent in March, he could slot right into his spot. At 6-foot-4 and a healthy 323 pounds with a thick and sturdy build, he possesses prototypical size and strength to excel in a physical downhill rushing attack that Baltimore has been accustomed to deploying, especially since signing future Hall of Fame running back Derrick Henry two years ago.

"Ioane plays with excellent contact balance and technique on both base blocks and double teams," NFL.com' Lance Zierlein wrote. "He uses his hips and hands for leverage and displacement when drive blocking. However, he lacks athleticism and foot quickness to operate effectively as a move blocker. He pass sets with good posture and a firm punch and can anchor against power. Though quicker at a lighter weight in 2025, he will struggle with twitchy interior defenders who cross his face in the run game and attack his edges in protection. Despite scheme dependence, Ioane projects as an early starter with a high floor."

Ravens should still bring in experienced reinforcements

Just because DeCosta has a chance of landing the top interior offensive lineman in this year's crop, it doesn't mean he shouldn't invest more significant resources into improving at guard in free agency come March. While the first order of business as it pertains to the blocking unit is extending Linderbaum, once that's taking care of, signing one of the top or even mid-tier veteran guards would be a vast improvement over what they had last season.

There are a handful of pending free agent guards with whom the Ravens are familiar, both as former employees and foes, that they could target. Both of the Cleveland Browns' Pro Bowl guards, Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller, are going to be on the open market, as will Pittsburgh Steelers 2024 Pro Bowl guard Isaac Seumalo.

After letting them both walk in free agency in 2024, the Ravens could entertain bringing back either John Simpson or Pro Bowler Kevin Zeitler. They brought in both players after they were discarded by their previous teams, with Simpson winning the starting left guard spot as a dark horse in the 2023 training camp, and Zeitler was signed as a salary cap casualty in the 2021 offseason. Of the aforementioned familiar options, Simpson makes the most sense as he is the youngest at just 28 years old and plays with the nasty edge that the Ravens offense has missed in the trenches since he departed.