Ravens: Patrick Queen named team’s most overrated player

The Baltimore Ravens may have a 2021 breakout star in linebacker Patrick Queen, but according to James Fragoza of Pro Football Network, Queen might also heavily disappoint this season.

On PFN’s list of each NFL team’s most overrated player, Fragoza chose fan-favorite Queen as a potential letdown. His reasons for Queen’s souped-up ranking feel a tad underwhelming (he really only writes one bad sentence about him):

"“Yet, like all rookie linebackers in 2020, Queen had his fair share of struggles. According to Pro Football Reference, he missed 21 tackles, allowed a 75.9% completion rate, and forfeited 3 passing touchdowns. Queen may not be on here for long as he progresses in his second season.”"

As excellent as Queen was last year, the numbers still reveal some faults. He was inconsistent in pass coverage, occasionally out of position, and (naturally) lacked the instincts of more experienced players.

But Queen’s rookie season needs no introduction. For everything he didn’t do, he also did a lot of things surprisingly well. He led the team in tackles (106), recorded three sacks, and finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting.

In Week 5 of last season, Queen was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after his commanding performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Patrick Queen is a surprising pick for the Ravens’ most overrated player.

What PFN points out, though, is a very real possibility for a young and green linebacker like Queen to become overwhelmed in his second season.

Some of his naivete shone through in last season’s forgettable loss against the Kansas City Chiefs when head coach Andy Reid and the masterful Patrick Mahomes tore through Baltimore’s defense (with Queen in the thick of it) in the first two quarters.

Queen recorded four combined tackles that game and more often than not stuck out like a cow in a haystack with his poor decision-making. Then again, it’s Mahomes, so how much can you really do?

So far, Queen has proven to be one of the most promising off-ball linebackers in the NFL. Whether he will continue to produce at a high rate or get burned out remains a looming question for a Baltimore defense that is counting on him to step up this year.

Remember that Baltimore plucked him from an elite LSU team where he once backed up current Tampa Bay Buccaneers stalwart Devin White.

His pre-draft profile lists shedding blocks and tactical inexperience as his main weaknesses, but those facets should improve with the right training and with time.

He’s already showcased his physical athleticism and fundamental skills in the big league, and he’s improved tremendously from his college career to now.

PFN thinks Patrick Queen could seriously disappoint this year, but the man smack dab in the middle of the Ravens’ defense will just have to prove his doubters wrong.