The Baltimore Ravens have done surprisingly little to add to their roster this offseason.
The team had more than 20 players head for free agency this offseason and also traded away one of their starters during the offseason.
They managed to hold onto some of their free agents, but have also suffered some major losses on the roster.
One of the biggest losses was inside linebacker Patrick Queen, who left for a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With all of the departures they’ve had this offseason and not much done yet to replace the players that left, there are a lot of different directions the team could go in this year’s NFL Draft.
It seems there is some belief that they could use their second rounder to fill the hole left behind by Queen’s departure.
In his March 16 mock draft, Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings predicted the Ravens would use their second round pick to select Michigan linebacker Junior Colson.
In the mock draft, that pick came after the team was predicted to select wide receiver Xavier Worthy in round one. They were then projected to select offensive tackle Delmar Glaze in round three.
Colson’s Career at Michigan
NFL teams considering drafting Colson couldn’t ask for much more from his college career.
He was productive throughout his time in college. As a freshman, Colson had 60 tackles.
His sophomore year he established himself as one of the best linebackers in the Big Ten. He had 101 tackles in his second season with 6 for a loss and earned himself a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team.
In his junior year, he made 95 tackles and earned All-Big Ten honors for a second consecutive season.
He also showed off his toughness by playing through by a broken hand at the end of that season.
Colson was a part of a Michigan program that boasted one of football’s best defenses year after year and consistently won throughout his college career.
He played in the College Football Playoff in all three of his seasons and won a national championship in his final college season.
Now he could be a good fit for a team that has championship aspirations of their own.
The Ravens’ New Need for a Linebacker
During the 2023 season, there wasn’t another team in the NFL that could match the talent the Ravens had at inside linebacker.
Between Queen and Roquan Smith, the Ravens had a pair of All-Pro starters at the position.
They still have the better of the two players in Smith, but now they have a hole to fill next to him.
The team seemed to try and get a head start on this situation last season. Shortly before declining the fifth-year option that would have kept him in Baltimore for the 2024 season, the Ravens drafted Clemson linebacker Trenton Simpson in the third round.
However, he remains somewhat of a question mark after playing just 5% of snaps in his rookie season and making just 13 tackles.
That could lead the team to go back to the draft to look for their Queen replacement.
Colson was actually somebody I believed the Steelers should have their eye on before they signed Queen.
Now he could be a good fit for Queen’s former team instead.
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Mock Draft Predicts Ravens Will Select Patrick Queen Replacement in Round 2