LB Patrick Queen became the second Pittsburgh Steelers player to make the NFL’s Top 100 player list, coming in at No. 75. DL Cameron Heyward also made the list, as he ranked as the 83rd best player in the league in 2024.
“Instinctive, fast-flowing linebacker that likes to fly around the football,” Baltimore Ravens C Tyler Linderbaum, Queen’s former teammate, had to say about him in the Top 100 video.
“I just remember seeing blurs of him. He was already gone before I could get off the line of scrimmage,” Philadelphia Eagles OT Lane Johnson said.
Queen didn’t have the All-Pro-type season he had in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens, but he got better as the season progressed. He finished his first year with the Steelers with 129 tackles, seven passes defensed and a sack and earned a Pro Bowl nod.
He fell 11 spots in this year’s rankings after slotting in at No. 64 in 2024.
There’s more potential for Queen, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him improve as he settles in with Pittsburgh. It’s surprising, though, that he ranked higher than Heyward on the list. I think most people who watch the Steelers would argue that Heyward was the more impactful defender last season. That’s not a knock on Queen, but rather it shows that Heyward is probably ranked much too low.
But it’s a fairly meaningless list at the end of the day, and it’s good to see Queen get recognized by his peers for his play last season. He took on a lot of responsibility coming to Pittsburgh and immediately assumed a role as the team’s Green Dot linebacker. It can’t be easy getting acclimated to a new team and having a whole lot of responsibility and expectations, and Queen was able to adapt and played some solid football.
He was able to run with tight ends and sometimes even receivers in coverage, and his sideline-to-sideline speed was an asset all season for the Steelers.
With a year in Pittsburgh under his belt, there’s more on the table for Patrick Queen in his second season as a Steelers, and he could find himself ranked higher next year if he can put together a more consistent season. His familiarity with Pittsburgh and the defense should help, and he can be a key piece for a Steelers team looking to make a run.
