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Patrick Queen is yet another out of a long line of athletic, speedy linebackers to come out of LSU. A one year full time starter, Queen finished his junior year with 85 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, and 1 interception. In reviewing his film, Queen immediately stands out.
His sideline to sideline speed is reminiscent of all linebackers that come out of LSU (hello, Deion Jones), he shows a very good ability to cover in space, and he has excellent instincts to play ILB. If the Falcons are in the market for an upgrade at the position, Queen could be an excellent fit.
Strengths
- Great speed (4.50 40 yard dash)
- Ideal instincts to play inside
- Shows great leadership ability as an inside linebacker
- Has the athleticism to cover running backs and even tight ends
- Great ability to read and react
- Very fluid laterally
- Excellent short area quickness
- Able to diagnose plays and beat linemen to the spot in order to make plays in the backfield
- Shows an ability to stack blockers due to his long arms
- A physical hitter that wraps up when he tackles
Weaknesses
- Needs to work on play strength
- Inexperienced as a starter
- Needs to be kept clean by the defensive line to be at his best
- needs to work on identifying route concepts in zone coverage
Patrick Queen is the ideal modern day 3 down linebacker. His ability to play in space, attack the run and cover on passing downs makes him a sure fire Round 1 selection. For the Falcons, even though it’s been stated that Oluokon will be the starter, they’re very thin at the position.
It’s certainly not out of the question to add a player of Queen’s talents to the LB group. A very hard worker that exhibits the competitive toughness, speed and athleticism that Coach Quinn requires in his Linebackers, Queen would be the perfect pick to round out his LB corps.