2020 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile
Name: Patrick Queen
Position: Linebacker
School: Louisiana State University
Height: 6’1”
Weight: 227 pounds
Stats
Speed
During his career in Baton Rouge, Queen started to harness this trait to use to his advantage. Instead of blindly running in the general vicinity of the ball, the former Bayou Bengal adjusts for angle and the thought of a jump cut by the back. Next, like being shot from a cannon, he flies into through the gaps before blockers can lay a hand on him. Meanwhile, on the perimeter, Queen slides to meet to prospective target. He places himself in a prime position with a good get from the snap and vision to see the play develop. If you are speaking strictly athletic talent, Queen brings the ability to run from the linebacker spot.
Tackling
If you’re looking for room for improvement in Queen’s game, look no further. For his speed and explosion, he should deliver a harder shot. He form tackles well, generating a grasp and drive as all linebackers should. However, at the next level, he may want to increase the contact power. Not saying, leave responsibilities and gap integrity and lay waste to players, but bring more force to the tackle.
Coverage
Queen’s tape shows at ease of motion when tasked to cover. He uses the veteran arm to stay inside of a target, making contact, while looking at the ball. Similarly, he will pick up the running back in the flat. At the next level, expect him to stay on the field in sub-packages as well.
Agility
Immediately, Flash will turn his shoulders towards the action, funneling through traffic to make the play. On misdirection plays, he will gather and re-direct without losing his target
Raiders Fit
You can name all of the gamechangers on the Raiders on one hand. Correspondingly, the defense looks slow and plays without enough urgency to prevent short plays from turning into longer ones. More importantly, the defense lacks big-game linebackers. That is to say, in big moments, the team lacks an impact linebacker to get the team off the field on third down. Or, help the line slow the run game by shooting the game and stopping the run. On top of the unit lacks attitude. Not loud, social media thirstiness, but actual attitude during plays. The Raiders appeared rather timid within the linebacker group.
Why Queen?
Behind a young defensive line, Queen could provide the Raiders with athleticism, intelligence, and timing. Most of all, he profiles as a three-down linebacker, a type continues to elude the Raiders. The NFL continues to evolve away from the traditional linebacker. Queen immediately boosts the coverage abilities. For instance, Noah Fant and Travis Kelce will remain a problem until the Raiders do something. Now, picture Queen staying stride-for-stride, down the seam. At worst, making routes difficult for tight ends and backs is something that the Raiders failed to do. When they used Karl Joseph or Erik Harris, tight ends would muscle them. As a result, a speedy linebacker like Queen will slip in and disrupt routes.
