Getty Patrick Queen celebrates following LSU's win over Clemson.
The Baltimore Ravens have plenty of decisions to make when they get going in the NFL Draft on Thursday night, and some of the final suggestions are rolling in from the media as it relates to what the team should do.
Peter Schrager of the NFL Network was asked to name his perfect fit in the draft for the Ravens, and he had linebacker Patrick Queen of LSU as his pick. The reason was Queen’s own skill as well as his perfect fit within the team’s defense on the field.
The perfect fit for the @Ravens?
@PSchrags says it’s Patrick Queen, LB, out of @LSUfootball.
“They’ll have to trade up to get him. So, do it. That’s why you accumulate all those later round picks. Go get Queen for Wink Martindale’s defense.”
“The Ravens are in the market for linebacker, that’s everything you are hearing around the league. I think Queen would be the perfect pick or if the Ravens trade up to get him,” Schrager said. “I think Wink Martindale might be the best defensive coordinator in all of football. You add Patrick Queen to that unit that was flying all over the field last year. You don’t really get big personality, but you get big impact. Ravens, Queen, I think the fans would like it too.”
From that perspective it could be a home run across the board if the Ravens get the shot at picking Queen. They might have to make the move up in order to do so, but that’s a risk the team should be willing to take according to Schrager for such an overwhelming fit.
Ravens Host Interview With Patrick Queen
The analysts aren’t the only ones who could like the fit here. Recently, the Ravens got down to business with getting a pre-draft meeting with Patrick Queen of LSU. Queen was a star player for the Tigers amid their title run last season, and the Ravens took note enough to get an interview with Queen. Though times have changed the draft process, the team got a virtual interview in with Queen ahead of the draft recently.
Queen has been a very productive player during his time in college with 131 tackles, 4 sacks and 1 interception to go with 17.5 tackles for loss. Obviously, the Ravens need to look for help defensively, and Queen is a player who should be in play late in the first round when the Ravens pick.
Peter King Projects Draft Trade For Ravens
While it doesn’t involve Queen, veteran NFL analyst Peter King explained that the Ravens have to love Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray, and hinted the team should like him enough to make a move up in order to make sure they secure his services for the future.
In a recent mock draft, King, an NBC Sports analyst, took a stab at predicting what will happen in the first round on Thursday. As he predicted, the Ravens have a player they have to love in Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. They might like Murray so much as to trade up, even though King doesn’t have them doing it in his mock.
He wrote:
“My bet is the Ravens might try to move up a few slots to steal Murray; he’s the best pure linebacker in the draft, a sideline to sideline menace, and would be a godsend for defensive coordinator Wink Martindale to use as a chess piece. He’s also a future NFL Man of the Year, a totally too-good-to-be-true guy who helps his parents raise three siblings with special needs. Murray to the Ravens is a football match made in heaven. I’d love to see it happen.”
Safe to say plenty of Ravens fans would agree given the team needs a linebacker. Whether the Ravens decide they need to deal up is anyone’s guess at this point, but Murry along with Queen figure to be a few names that could be in the mix for the team coming up.
Ravens Offseason Needs
The Ravens are seemingly in a decent spot in terms of both sides of the ball thanks to the fact that they have a young roster, but there’s little question that the team needs to make a few well placed additions, especially on offense, as DeCosta hints. Baltimore could still use another receiving threat to help Lamar Jackson, and depending on what happens with some of the team’s own free agents, another linebacker could be on the docket as well, though that position could get filled in the NFL Draft.
Baltimore shouldn’t need many more dramatic moves after what they have already done, but should continue to lock up their own talent while looking to make a few well-placed additions to the mix.
Continuing to add defensive backs and keep the right players in house could be a huge benefit to the team moving forward that helps them continue to cultivate a championship roster. So far, that’s been the move for the Ravens this offseason.
Perhaps adding a linebacker would help matters as well. That’s likely to be on the menu for the team in the draft when things get going, and Queen could be the best fit.
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