Welcome back to another year of the SB Nation Community Mock Draft!
NFL mock draft 2026: Los Angeles Rams select Olaivavega Ioane, OG, Penn State
The Rams invest in Matthew Stafford protection by selecting OG Olaivavega Ioane out of Penn State
As we do every draft season, all 32 NFL sites at SB Nation come together to fill out an entire first-round mock draft leading up to the actual event that takes place from April 23-25. One by one, our site managers will make their picks and provide their reasoning behind the selection. From there, I will provide further analysis on top of giving a final opinion on the pick!
Without further ado, let’s keep things rolling!
With the 13th overall pick in the 2026 SB Nation Community Mock Draft, Turf Show Times’ Blaine Grisak and the Los Angeles Rams select Olaivavega Ioane, offensive guard, Penn State!
Grisak’s analysis:
NFL
SB Nation NFL Mock Draft: With the 13th pick the Los Angeles Rams select...
iOL Olaivavega "Vega" Ioane, Penn State
This may not be popular or expected choice for the Rams, but it's a pick that absolutely makes sense. The Rams set themselves up well in free agency to take the best player available and fill future needs. Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila are both free agents at the end of the year and have missed time with injuries. Protecting Matthew Stafford has to be the top priority and Ioane allowed 0 sacks in his last two years at Penn State.
Rec 2ReplyRead 4 replies
My analysis: As Matthew Stafford continues to inch closer and closer to 40, his protection will only become more and more crucial. Even if other needs are deemed more prevalent for team success in a vacuum, you can simply never go wrong with investing in your quarterback’s health. That’s why I love this pick of Ioane. He’s the best guard in this class and the Rams will have a need along the interior following the 2026 season if they don’t add to the group in this year’s draft. You could always do a lot worse than a player like Ioane who offers the complete package as both a mauler in the run game and a rock-steady pass protector.
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