Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1544665
M A Y 2 0 2 6 3 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M rushing lanes for the Ravens' excellent run game." Added Nick Baumgardner of The Ath- letic, "This might be my favorite pick of the first round, and it was the most obvi- ous thing in the draft. Ioane has felt like a Raven for a long time." Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta described Ioane's selection as "a success- ful start to our draft." "Great, great kid, excellent player," De- Costa said. "He's physical, tough, very athletic for his size, excellent in pass pro- tection and a great fit for our offense with what we're trying to accomplish. We're just very happy to have him here." Ioane is eager to get started with the Ravens, who will be looking to get back to the playoffs in Year 1 of Jesse Mint- er's head coaching tenure after losing to archrival Pittsburgh on the last day of the 2025 regular season and falling short of the AFC North title. "I'm really excited," Ioane said. "The biggest thing for me is coming in and proving myself and earning my role. There are a lot of great players in the O- line room, a lot of great players on that team. Being surrounded by great players like that, it's just going to make me better, and that's all I can ask for." Ioane became the first Nittany Lion guard to be drafted since Juice Scruggs in 2023. He is the first to go in the opening round since Mike Munchak and Sean Far- rell both were selected in 1982. Rather than watching the draft on-site in Pittsburgh, Ioane spent it with fam- ily and friends. One of his guests was James Franklin. The former Penn State head coach wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that Ioane's selection was the result of his "discipline, commitment and selfless- ness." "You earned the right to chase your dream at the next level," Franklin added. "Proud of you and excited to see you with the Ravens." Drew Allar | QB TEAM Pittsburgh Steelers ROUND Third PICK 76th overall Allar saw his draft stock slip after an uneven senior campaign that ended with a season-ending left ankle injury against Northwestern on Oct. 11. ESPN listed him as the No. 5 quarterback prospect in the draft. He ended up being the fourth sig- nal-caller selected, trailing Indiana's Fer- nando Mendoza (Las Vegas), Alabama's Ty Simpson (Los Angeles Rams) and Miami's Carson Beck (Arizona). Allar was one of the more polarizing prospects in the draft, with some analysts citing him as a second- or third-rounder and others predicting he wouldn't hear his name called until Day 3. Writing for The Athletic, analyst Dane Brugler summed up the conundrum that the three-year Penn State starter presented to NFL scouts. "Allar is a sturdy, strong-armed passer with promising intangibles, but under- developed timing disrupts his ability to execute at a high level," Brugler noted. "He has NFL starting-caliber physical tools, although a lack of natural passing rhythm creates uncertainty about his de- velopmental ceiling." With his selection by the Steelers, Allar became the first PSU passer to be drafted since Sean Clifford went in the fifth round to the Green Bay Packers in 2023. He's the program's highest quarterback draftee since 2016 when Christian Hackenberg went to the New York Jets in the second round with the 51st overall pick. Allar leaves the Lions as the program's record holder in career completion per- centage at 63.1 percent. He's also fourth in passing yards with 7,402, third in pass- ing touchdowns with 61 and third in total touchdowns responsible for with 73. In Pittsburgh, Allar is stepping into an uncertain quarterback situation. As of late April, Aaron Rodgers had not yet told the Steelers whether he plans to return for the 2026 season. If the future Hall of Famer comes back for his second cam- paign as the team's starter, Allar will likely compete with former Ohio State rival Will Howard and veteran Mason Rudolph for the backup job. If Rodgers retires, the stakes get a lot higher. Drew Allar became the fourth quarterback to be chosen in this year's draft when Pittsburgh took him in the third round with the 76th overall pick. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS