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The Baltimore Ravens picked up their linebacker of the future, grabbing LSU’s Patrick Queen in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Queen is a rangy player that excels going sideline-to-sideline and in coverage, something the Ravens have needed out of their starting linebacker for some time. While he jumps to the front of the depth chart, that doesn’t necessarily give too much insight on what type of player Queen might become.
It’s become fashionable to compare draft prospects to players already in the NFL to get a better idea of what type of careers they could have. Though any comparison doesn’t necessarily mean a player will have the same exact career — for better or worse — it’s a good jumping off point.
For the Ravens, they’re getting a long-time starter if Queen’s comparisons turn out to be accurate.
According to NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, Queen compares best to former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. Known for his smarts and speed, especially in coverage, Davis has been a productive linebacker in the NFL for 15 years now and as a starter for almost all of them. Over 192 career games, Davis has accounted for 1,210 combined tackles, 29 sacks, 11 fumble recoveries, 18 forced fumbles and 13 interceptions. Even at the age of 36, Thomas was a positive force in coverage with the Los Angeles Chargers, seeing an 87.9 passer rating on 66 targets.
Benjamin Solak of the Draft Network compared Queen to Deion Jones of the Atlanta Falcons. Jones is still early in his career, entering his fifth season in 2020, but the comparison is incredibly favorable. As a rookie, Jones had three interceptions and returned two for touchdowns, leading the league in pick-sixes and interception return yards. For his career, Jones has four pick-sixes on nine total interceptions, 32 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and 409 combined tackles.
If Queen can become anything like either Davis or Jones, the Ravens will be incredibly happy with their first-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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