Ravens rookie ILB Patrick Queen is looking as good as advertised
In a normal year, rookies typically only have to wait a week to hit the field with the team that drafted them or that signed them as an undrafted free agent but due to the coronavirus pandemic, rookies are just now putting on pads for the first time as pros this week.
Despite having his first offseason be reduced to a virtual format where his only contact with his coaches and teammates have been via Zoom meetings, Baltimore Ravens rookie inside linebacker Patrick Queen didn’t waste any time making his presence known on the first day of padded practices.
The first-round pick out of LSU had already been impressing in walkthroughs and in-person meetings since reporting to training camp over two weeks ago, but on the very first play of team’s first full team drill with pads on Monday, Queen showcased the incredible speed and quickness that the Ravens coaches and scouts have been enamored with by knifing through a gap into the backfield to make the first actual tackle of the padded portion of camp.
Queen is expected to be the main man in the middle of the Ravens defense as the starting MIKE linebacker and bring a dynamic playmaking dimension that the unit missed last year after four-time Pro Bowler CJ Mosely departed in free agency last March to sign a record-setting deal with the New York Jets.
He’s been discussed in the national media as one of the early front runners to bring home the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award hardware. With the bevy of Pro Bowl and All-Pro talent in front of him in the trenches and behind him in the secondary, he is set up for tremendous success entering his first season.
Defensive Coordinator Don ‘Wink’ Martindale has liked what he’s seen from Queen and has said that it’s expected that the rookie will make some mistakes, however, he wants them to be made ‘100 miles per hour’. If his performance on the very first play of padded practice and in the days since is any indication, he is keeping that in mind every time he steps onto the field.
Head Coach John Harbaugh likes what he has been seeing from the first-year defender since the pads came on and believes that he has been performing better than the staff expected thus far in camp given that he hasn’t put on a pair of pads since he was named the defensive MVP of the college football national championship back in January but also thinks he still has a ways to go.
“I think he’s right on schedule,” Harbaugh said. “He wants to be right, he really studies, he’s very conscientious, and he’s a rookie at the same time – without reps in the offseason. So, I would say he’s doing really well – better than anticipated, but he’s not there yet. He has a lot to learn, and that’s going to be the case all year.”
Fellow rookie Malik Harrison who was selected in the third round out of Ohio State has been impressive moving in space. He had a great day in coverage during Wednesday’s padded practice. He deflected a pair of passes intended for tight end Charles Scarff. On the first, he showed great range when Scarff had a step on him on a deep route but without even turning his head, Harrison was able to knock the ball away. The second came on an outbreaking route that he batted away.
“The way he moves and his size, he’s really talented,” Harbaugh said. “He’s a really big person and he moves fluidly and smoothly. He’s got great body control. You teach him footwork, he picks it up quickly, whether it’s defense or special teams. That’s a gift.”
