LSU Football: Patrick Queen will bring alpha impact to the NFL
Patrick Queen created a huge impact on defense for LSU football to get its fourth national title. Now Queen will look to do the same in the NFL.
It was the offense of the LSU Tigers, led by Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, that led them to their fourth national title in program history.
Defensively, the Tigers struggled to find some consistency until later in the season. That was where we saw the impact rise from certain marquee players like middle linebacker Patrick Queen. He stepped up much later in the season to give the Tigers some efficiency against more established programs like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma and Clemson.
Queen stepped foot onto LSU’s campus as a freshman in the recruiting class of 2017 as the No. 17 athlete and No. 12 ranked player from the state of Louisiana.
In his freshman year in 2017, Queen played in three games by accounting for six total tackles, two solo tackles, and an assisted tackle for loss. In 2018 as a sophomore, Queen played in 11 games as a reserve by accounting for 40 total tackles, 20 solo tackles, five tackles for loss and one sack.
It would be in his junior year, this past season, where Queen would step up as a full-time starter and lead the Tigers’ defense — he started in 12 of 15 games. Queen accounted for 85 total tackles, 37 solo tackles, 12 tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, two pass deflections and one fumble recovery.
In seven of the last eight games, Queen accumulated at least six tackles. Six of the last eight games were games where Queen accumulated seven tackles. In the huge win over the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, he accounted for seven total tackles, four solo tackles, an assisted tackle for loss and sack, and an interception for a 16-yard return. He accounted for three tackles for a loss earlier in the season against Utah State.
In the SEC Conference Championship win against Georgia, Queen accounted for six total tackles, four solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack. In the College Football Playoff victory over Oklahoma, he had eight total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Finally, in the Tigers’ title game win over Clemson, Queen led the charge for LSU by accounting for eight total tackles, six solos, 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.
Queen came out later in the season for LSU as the alpha on the defensive side of the ball. This was an area that the Tigers were missing earlier in the season. While Burrow and two elite wide receivers are going to the highlight of that team, there was much impact from a leader and playmaker like Queen that got the Tigers their national title.
Now Queen will look to bring that consistency and alpha leader mentality on defense to the NFL. While he is not the flashiest prospect at inside linebacker, there are many enticing characteristics he can bring to an NFL team.