The Baltimore Ravens got the inside linebacker they so desperately needed, taking LSU’s Patrick Queen with the 28th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. It’s a selection that not only fit a major need but is a player with tremendous upside who can start immediately. Queen is the player most often picked in mock drafts for the Ravens and one fans were seemingly the most excited to land.
While Queen still has a few things he can stand to improve at, Baltimore walks out of the first round with a pretty glowing grade. Luke Easterling of Draft Wire gave the Ravens a ‘B+’ for taking Queen.
“Baltimore’s already talented defense gets a fiery, athletic playmaker who finished 2019 strong for the national champs.”
As discussed in our instant analysis, Queen is one of the fastest inside linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft. That speed gives him sideline-to-sideline ability in run support as well as the ability to drop back into coverage. With the addition of tight end Eric Ebron to the Pittsburgh Steelers and a ton of shifty running backs around the league, Queen’s coverage ability is going to come in handy.
But don’t be fooled into thinking Queen is nothing more than cover guy. He’s one of the few true three-down linebackers in the 2020 NFL Draft, able to come up and lay big hits on ball carriers. He also brings upside as a potential blitzer in defensive coordinator Don Martindale’s system.
Queen looks like he was built to be a Raven and he plays with that mentality. As an immediate starter on a top-4 defense and with the upside to grow into even more, it’s hard to not grade Baltimore well.
[vertical-gallery id=46348]