TOWNE INTERVIEW
Patrick Queen
Baltimore Ravens’ Linebacker
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By Tom Worgo Photography courtesy Baltimore Ravens
t’s something few professional athletes will admit…being overweight. Ravens second-year pro and linebacker Patrick Queen owns up to it. Queen weighed more than 240 pounds during the 2020 season.
In February at NFL Combine, a showcase for top draft picks, he checked at 232. “I was out of shape,” Queen says. “There was so much stuff going on with Covid, it was really hard to work out consistently. Then you come to camp (in July), we
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What’s Up? Eastern Shore | October 2021 | whatsupmag.com
have practice, and we are running all day. It took me so long to get in shape. It was like Week 5 (in October). It was crazy.” But he bounced back sufficiently to have a stellar rookie season. He finished third in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, leading the Ravens in tackles with 106 and had three sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. “The Ravens have such high standards for their defense,” Queen says. “You have to go out there and really perform.” Queen did that at LSU, where he helped the Tigers win the national championship in 2020. After that season, the Ravens drafted him in the first round of the NFL Draft, No. 29 overall. We recently talked to Queen about his offseason work, being
called Ray Lewis, Jr. by Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and his experience as a member of the Ravens defense. Are you primed for a huge year after a standout rookie year and a great offseason of work outs? There is only one way to go and that is up. I have been working really hard all offseason. I have been running and lifting about three hours a day to get stronger and faster. That has been the whole focus of mine. I’m fit and strong. When I got to the Ravens facility in May, I was lifting for an hour and half each day. It really has been a great offseason. How did it feel being drafted by a team that is so well known for its defense? Has it allowed you to thrive as a player? It was like that at LSU. You know when you walk on the field, ev-
