5 players who Ravens need to be great in 2020

4. Patrick Queen

The Ravens defense played really well last year, but it clearly missed C.J. Moseley’s presence at middle linebacker. Drafting Queen in the first round was a clear effort by the franchise to fill that void.

To succeed, Queen doesn’t need to suddenly become Moseley’s twin. He doesn’t have the size to hold up as well as the veteran did in the run game. On the plus side, Queen has the athleticism to make more plays all over the field than Moseley can.

It’s that playmaking ability that caused the Ravens to spend a first round pick on his services. They understand that modern NFL defenses need to employ linebackers who can stay on the field for all three downs. Queen needs to add experience before he can do that credibly at the NFL level, but the Ravens need him to be up and running by the time the playoffs roll around.

Queen doesn’t have to be a superstar for Baltimore to win big in 2020, but he’ll need to help this defense force turnovers with his speed and athleticism. He is just one more weapon for Harbaugh to deploy against offenses that try to spread his defense out next season.