Offensive tackles always get the most attention along the offensive line. The athletic requirements to start at tackle in the NFL are high and there simply aren’t many people with the frame, athleticism, and technique to play the position.
Guards tend to be overshadowed, but there’s a very good argument that the best offensive lineman in the 2026 NFL Draft is Penn State guard Olaivavega Ioane — or simply “Vega” for short.
Vega Ioane is a powerful, athletic, and skilled blocker who’s capable in run blocking and pass protection. And it also just so happens that the New York Giants could use a young, long-term solution at one of their guard positions.
Is Ioane the man for that?
Prospect: Vega Ioane (71)
Games Watched: vs. Oregon (2025), vs. Ohio State (2025), vs. Indiana (2025), vs. Nebraska (2025)
Red Flags: Ankle (2025)
Measurables
Strengths
Best traits
- Technique
- Foot quickness
- Play strength
- Pass protection
- Run blocking
- Competitive toughness
Vega Ioane is a big, powerful, athletic, and skilled guard prospect.
Ioane has prototypical size for the position at 6-foot-4, 329 pounds, but carries his weight well with great thickness in his upper and lower halves but little in the way of “sloppy” weight. He’s a light-footed mover for his size and is easily able to mirror athletic rushers on the interior. Ioane his efficient, balanced footwork that is timed well to his hands always leaves him ready to redirect and pick up delayed pressure or anchor against a power rusher.
He consistently plays with a wide base, giving him great balance once engaged as well as a sturdy foundation to absorb bull rushers. He’s able to stonewall the most powerful defensive tackles and rarely gives ground in pass protection, giving up 0 hits or sacks last year.
Ioane is a natural knee bender who’s able to drop his hips and pads to maximize his play strength. He consistently plays shorter than his official height, getting under defenders’ pads to blunt their rushes as well as move them off the ball in the run game.
Ioane is a very effective run blocker with scheme versatility and is able to stay in phase for zone runs, open holes blocking downhill in man-gap, and is also an effective puller. He plays with fantastic competitive toughness, blocking through the whistle and looking to bury his opponents whenever possible. It isn’t uncommon to see Ioane come in at the end of running plays to push the pile or driving defenders 5 or 10 yards downfield on blocks.
Weaknesses
Worst traits
- Arm length
- Top end athleticism
There are few, if any, real weaknesses in Ioane’s game, and calling issues out feels more like nitpicking than anything else.
Teams may have some slight concerns regarding his arm length, as 32 ¾ inches is less than average and certainly less than ideal for a guard. Ioane is able to compensate through excellent technique and a ready punch, but there could be some concern that bigger, longer, stronger, or more athletic defensive tackles could give him trouble at the NFL level.
Ioane’s value could also be impacted by the fact that he is definitely a “guard only” prospect. Guards don’t have the same athletic demands as offensive tackles, and good players can be found later in the draft.
Game Tape
(Vega Ioane is the Penn State left guard wearing number 71.)
Projection
Vega Ioane projects as a starting guard with scheme diversity, positional versatility, and All Pro upside at the NFL level.
Ioane is one of the cleanest prospects in this year’s drafts and has very, very few negatives in his game. He’s a plug-and-play starter with experience at both left and right guard, and who should be a mainstay for a decade or more. He’ll draw plenty of comparisons to Quentin Nelson, though he isn’t quite the same caliber of prospect. However, Ioane is a very good prospect in his own right and might be the best offensive lineman to come out of this draft class.
Does he fit the Giants? Yes, value permitting
Final Word: A first round prospect
See More:
