With rookies beginning to report to team facilities around the NFL for the start of training camp this week, the Ravens have agreed to contract terms with first-round pick Patrick Queen and third-round selection Devin Duvernay.
Queen, an inside linebacker from LSU, was the 28th overall selection in the 2020 draft and projected to receive a four-year, $12.16 million contract in the league’s slotted system. Queen will turn 21 next month and is expected to start for a top-shelf defense that lost veteran inside linebackers Josh Bynes and Patrick Onwuasor in free agency this offseason.
The 6-foot, 232-pound Queen started only 15 games in his college career and is undersized by traditional standards, but his skill set is ideal for Wink Martindale’s defensive system valuing versatility. He finished his junior year with 85 tackles (12 for a loss), three sacks, one interception, and three pass breakups and was named defensive MVP in LSU’s national championship win over Clemson.
“When you watched the film, you saw the instincts and the speed and athleticism,” director of player personnel Joe Hortiz said in May. “You were like, ‘Wow, he’s a 20-year old kid who’s showing this right now. What would he have been next year if he would have been another year starter with 12 more, 14 more starts under his belt? How much more instinctive would he be?’ I think you project that out forward.
“He’s a smart kid, he works his butt off, he loves the game, and he’s a great character kid. You say to yourself, ‘Man, as this guy gets experience in the NFL, he’s just going to get better and better.’ We really think he’s got a high ceiling and also a high floor.”
Queen was the first LSU player ever drafted by Baltimore and the third inside linebacker selected in the first round by the Ravens in their 25-year history, joining Hall of Famer Ray Lewis (1996) and C.J. Mosley (2014). Those two combined for 17 Pro Bowl selections in their time with Baltimore, leaving high expectations for the talented rookie.
The 92nd overall pick out of Texas, Duvernay was a standout performer for the Longhorns in 2019, catching 106 passes for 1,386 yards and nine touchdowns. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound slot receiver earned first-team All-Big 12 honors in 2019 and finished his collegiate career with 176 receptions, 2,468 yards, and 16 touchdowns.
With his entire draft class now under contract, general manager Eric DeCosta could now be faced with some unfortunate roster decisions entering camp with the league expected to reduce the preseason roster limit from 90 players to 80 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic requiring social distancing and new health protocols. The Ravens entered Wednesday with 89 players on their roster.
The roster reduction and the elimination of preseason games are expected to have a particularly harsh impact on undrafted rookies vying to make the regular-season roster, but expanded practice squads will allow teams to keep more developmental talent, which will be especially helpful with the uncertainty created by the pandemic.
