Ravens first-round pick Vega Ioane isn’t overly concerned about a possible position change to kick off his NFL career.
Ioane started at left guard at Penn State and that’s the same position that his new teammate John Simpson has played throughout his NFL career. Ioane said during the team’s rookie minicamp that his college coaches “made sure every day that we were rotating” between spots to be comfortable in the event they had to play there and he thinks he’ll be able to handle a change in sides for Baltimore.
“It’s definitely a little bit of work to get used to again, but there isn’t much to it,” Ioane said, via a transcript from the team.
Ioane has the rest of the offseason and all of training camp to settle into any spot the Ravens have in mind for him and it’s a good bet he’ll be starting at one guard spot come Week 1.
The Ravens have given Diego Pavia a chance. Now it’s up to the former Vanderbilt quarterback to make the most of it, coach Jesse Minter said.
“So now he’s in the door, and it’s like, ‘Show us what you can do,’” Minter said Saturday, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN. “And just like all the undrafted rookies, that’s what I would say.”
Pavia became the first Heisman Trophy finalist to go undrafted in 12 years. He signed with Baltimore as a rookie free agent and is competing with Connecticut’s Joe Fagnano for the No. 3 quarterback job for now.
“For us, we see it as an opportunity to bring a player in that could potentially be something, and that’s really what this is for us,” Minter said of Pavia.
The Ravens still could bring in more quarterbacks this offseason, Minter said.
Pavia was not available for interviews despite the NFL’s media access policy stating that the team “must make rookies available to the media for interviews.” And the media would have had plenty of questions for Pavia, whose age, height and decision-making off the field were the big questions the NFL had for him.
Minter was the defensive coordinator at Vanderbilt in 2021, and head coach Clark Lea is one of his closest friends.
"[Pavia has] had some experiences that are learning experiences that he could learn from and be better from. I don’t think anybody would dispute that,” Minter said. “But when you talk to the people inside that building [at Vanderbilt] and what he’s about as a player, he is showing up early every day and working really hard.”
After going undrafted and not immediately signed as an undrafted free agent last weekend, former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia has gotten an opportunity.
And that’s exactly what it is. An opportunity.
After initially being invited to participate in Baltimore’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, the Ravens signed Pavia to the 90-man offseason roster. It was hyped by some as a “three-year deal.” But that’s the standard deal, required by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, for undrafted players.
The key is the guarantees. Pavia, per multiple sources, received none. No signing bonus. No guaranteed salaries.
It’s not a low-risk proposition for Baltimore. It’s no risk. It’s a tryout with only the sliver of financial security that comes from the possibility of a serious injury during the rookie minicamp that would land Pavia on injured reserve.
If the Ravens like what they see from Pavia during the rookie minicamp, they’ll keep him. If they don’t, he’ll be gone.
Regardless, Pavia has gotten an opportunity. It’s now up to him to make the most of it.
Quarterbacks Diego Pavia and Joe Fagnano are officially on the roster in Baltimore.
Reports surfaced this week that both players would be signing with the Ravens after going undrafted and the deals were formalized on Friday. Pavia was the Heisman runner-up at Vanderbilt last season and Fagnano started 45 games at UConn.
They join Lamar Jackson and Snoop Huntley on the 90-man roster and will get a chance to show their on-field skills at this weekend’s rookie minicamp.
Pavia and Fagnano are part of a 19-player group of undrafted rookie additions. The Ravens also signed Wake Forest defensive back Ladarius Webb Jr., Memphis wide receiver Cortez Braham, Iowa defensive tackle Aaron Graves, Cincinnati cornerback Matthew McDoom, Eastern Michigan running back Dontae McMillan, Browns tight end Ty Pezza, Ole Miss tackle Diego Pounds, Auburn defensive back Jahquez Robinson, Maryland wide receiver Octavian Smith, Louisville tackle Trevonte Sylvester, Michigan State running back Elijah Tau-Tolliver, Miami (Ohio) safety Silas Walters, Charlotte linebacker Reid Williford, Syracuse defensive tackle Dion Wilson, Texas linebacker Ethan Burke, Penn State center Nick Dawkins, and Penn State linebacker Dominic DeLuca.
The Ravens are nearly done with signing their 2026 draft class.
Baltimore announced on Friday that seventh-round defensive tackle Rayshaun Benny has put pen to paper on his four-year rookie deal.
Benny, selected at No. at No. 250 overall, played his college ball at Michigan.
He appeared in 54 games with 16 starts over the course of his collegiate career, registering 12.0 tackles for loss with 4.0 sacks and one forced fumble.
Second-round edge rusher Zion Young is the remaining unsigned member of Baltimore’s 2026 draft class.
