Patrick Queen

The Ravens' recent moves in their linebacker corps suggest that Queen will need to up his play to remain part of the team's long-term plans. The 2020 first-rounder's fifth-year option was declined this spring and the Ravens swung for the fences by acquiring Roquan Smith last season and drafting Trenton Simpson. Queen should still have the inside track at one of the starting inside LB spots and his improvements last year were noteworthy. He logged a career-best 117 tackles and five sacks while boosting his coverage ability by holding opposing QBs to a 69.1 rating when targeting him after previously hovering around 100.

Queen enters his third season looking to improve after a middling 2021. His coverage remained a liability last season as he allowed a 67.7 percent completion rate along with a whopping 8.2 YPA while being credited with allowing two touchdown receptions. Playing time won't be an issue for him and he should still challenge for the 100-tackle mark. It's possible that working with new defensive coordinator, Mike MacDonald unlocks the potential that the Ravens saw in Queen when they spent a first-round pick on him in 2020.

Although he struggled at times as a rookie last season and had his playing time tinkered with in the second half, Queen was still impressive for his age. He turned 21 in training camp yet still started Week 1 and produced 106 tackles on just 858 snaps. He's still young, but Queen should be a step ahead of where he was in 2020, and he should play something closer to 1,100 snaps than 850. With 4.50 speed and the ability to produce tackles, sacks and interceptions, Queen has major upside despite his slightly uncertain floor.

Queen will be an immediate upgrade for the Ravens, both in terms of run defense and especially in terms of coverage. That's perfectly fine for where the NFL is headed - killer coverage linebackers like Eric Kendricks and Fred Warner are incredibly valuable in the modern NFL. Unfortunately for IDP purposes, this type of linebacker might carry a bit of a cap to their upside. They are largely good because they don't allow passes to be completed near them, so they don't get the same level of tackle opportunity that a lesser coverage linebacker would. This already showed up in Queen's LSU stats, where last year he totaled 85 tackles - third on the team behind fellow rookie linebacker Jacob Phillips and even safety JaCoby Stevens. Queen is an athletic, instinctive playmaker who should get his share of plays in coverage and as a blitzer. But he just might struggle to exceed the 110-tackle mark regularly, just as in Kendricks' case.