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Now that the Baltimore Ravens have taken Patrick Queen with the 28th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, our focus shifts to how that affects to the Ravens’ roster.
Baltimore’s depth chart at linebacker was incredibly shallow prior to the draft, even though the Ravens had just signed Jake Ryan last week and gave an extension to L.J. Fort last season. Queen should be considered an immediate starter for Baltimore, which is something they didn’t have prior to the 2020 NFL Draft. But Queen might not fit in the spot many expect him to.
The depth chart as it stands right now should look like this:
| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
| MLB | Chris Board | Jake Ryan | Otaro Alaka |
| WLB | Patrick Queen | L.J. Fort |
Queen as a more rangy player actually fits in best at weak-side linebacker initially. That’s where the Ravens can maximize his playmaking ability and his speed in both coverage and as a potential blitzer, two things he showed at LSU.
One of the bigger knocks on Queen was his ability to play inside in run support. As an undersized linebacker, Queen can get caught up in the mess and struggles at times to recognize gap assignments, which makes him less effective as a traditional middle linebacker. While those are things he’ll certainly work on and he has the ability to improve dramatically at with more experience, Baltimore will get the most out of him by giving him room to run.
That makes middle linebacker a pretty hotly contested battle right now. Board, Ryan, and Alaka are all in the mix there as larger and more stout linebackers. Where Ryan comes with more starting experience, Board has more time in the playbook, which might make all the difference. Alaka still sits in third right now but could surprise people when the Ravens get back on the field for training camp.
Still, this is a group that could use more depth. The 2020 NFL Draft is far from over and there are some linebackers in the mid-to-late rounds that could come in an compete for a job as an early-down linebacker next to Queen. The second wave of free agency could even see an experienced option hit the market, which might be more up Baltimore’s alley given their lack of experience at the position.
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