The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ defense is routinely one of the NFL’s high-performing units. Thanks to a constant mix of grit, athleticism and execution, that side of the ball helps provide a yearly floor for the team.
The linebacker position is a tone-setting one. Despite coming over from the division rival Baltimore Ravens, Patrick Queen managed to do just that last season. Although he was far from perfect, he stuffed the stat sheet in his 17 games played.
Queen fell in this summer’s “Top 100 Players” list, dropping from 64th to 75th. Still, it marks the second year in a row he’s made the cut.
https://x.com/NFL/status/1945498664484376623
NFL Players Praise Patrick Queen for Athleticism & Overall Profile
In a video the NFL posted to their official X account, players from around the league offered some insight on Queen. The group of athletes ranged from Queen himself to former teammates or random opponents.
Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley tipped his cap to Queen for taking his intra-division transition in stride.
“Being able to see him go from the Ravens, where he spent most of his time, obviously, I just feel like the dude had something to prove last year,” Henley said. “For me, I think he did.”
Center Tyler Linderbaum, a teammate of Queen’s for two years, justified the ranking.
“Obviously, being teammates, going against him, you see why he’s one of the highest-paid linebackers in the game,” Linderbaum said. “Instinctive, fast, flowing linebacker who loves to fire after the ball. It’s all about angles. He’s going to challenge you to that spot, he’s going to be physical at the spot and he’s going to try to beat you at the spot. It’s all about who wants it more at that point.”
Even those from outside the conference recognize what Queen brings to the table. Philadelphia Eagles tackle Lane Johnson thinks he’s a premier athlete.
“All I can say is I just remember seeing blurs of him,” Johnson said. “He was already gone before I could get off the line of scrimmage up to him to get my hands on him. He does a good job evading blockers, good with his hands.”
League Opinions on Steelers’ Star Linebacker Seem to Vary
As is the case every year, the 2025 version of this list is entirely decided by the players. Queen’s ranking can be viewed in two different ways. On one hand, players still believe he’s one of the best in the sport. On the other hand, they don’t seem to think he lived up to the hype in year one with the Steelers. Heck, Queen himself didn’t even believe so. Additionally, Queen being ranked ahead of Pittsburgh tackle Cameron Heyward isn’t sitting well with fans.
Other entities don’t believe Queen is a top-10 linebacker. For example, Jeremy Fowler’s survey of executives, coaches and scouts for ESPN had Queen in the “honorable mention” bucket. One executive described him as “up and down,” with a scout saying they feel he’ll “be better in his second year in Pittsburgh.” With that in mind, an 11-slot drop doesn’t seem so bad.
In what he considered something of a down year, Queen had 129 tackles and made the Pro Bowl. Advanced stats, however, didn’t like him. Pro Football Focus graded him as their 125th-ranked overall linebacker. His 58.5 grade was his lowest since 2021.
2025 will be about consistency for Queen. Should he establish that, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rise back up the player-voted ranks.