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The Baltimore Ravens have selected an inside linebacker in the first round for the first time since 2014 as they take LSU linebacker Patrick Queen at No. 28 in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
The Ravens had a pretty massive need at inside linebacker and Queen is likely to be thrust immediately into action following the departures of Patrick Onwuasor and Josh Bynes this offseason. Of the four other linebackers on Baltimore’s roster, only L.J. Fort and Jake Ryan have any starting experience while Otaro Alaka hasn’t seen the field at all. There’s likely going to be a competition for who pairs with Queen at linebacker at this point.
Queen, standing at 6-foot-1 and 229 pounds, totaled 85 tackles in his senior year and four sacks in his three seasons in college. His 4.50-second speed in the 40-yard-dash made him the fourth-fastest linebacker in this class, which is a major asset against today’s pass-happy offenses.
Queen will have to work run defense as well, which was suspect at times during his time at LSU, especially during play action. He’s only a one-year starter and comes into the NFL a little raw because of it. At times, Queen still doesn’t trust himself to hit the correct gap and he benefitted from a strong defensive line in front of him at LSU, which will likely translate over to the NFL. However, with the Ravens adding Calais Campbell and Derek Wolfe to Matthew Judon and Brandon Williams, he should be able to overcome that issue.
Queen has a ton of upside thanks to his physical tools and given Baltimore’s weakness at the position, he’s an immediate starter. Now it remains to be seen what positions the Ravens decide to fill on Friday when the draft continues to rounds three and four.
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