Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Patrick Queen did not crack ESPN’s top 10 linebackers list, but he was named honorable mention.
NFL executives, coaches and scouts conducted the ranking. One AFC personnel evaluator had a blunt take on Queen, however.
“He is very good when he turns it on and uses his speed and strength. His play is too inconsistent for my taste,” the unnamed AFC personnel evaluator said.
The Steelers’ inside linebackers room has been heavily criticized as of late. Inside linebacker was tabbed as the Steelers’ biggest weakness by ESPN.
“Off-ball linebacker. Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are back as the starters, and that might not be a good thing after Pittsburgh ranked 27th in run stop win rate (28.9%) last season,” Clay wrote. “Queen remained an every-down player last season but slipped to 61st among 67 qualified off-ball linebackers in PFF grade (he ranked 54th among 69 qualified in 2024). Wilson could make a Year 3 leap, though he struggled to fend off Cole Holcomb and Malik Harrison, who both remain on the roster, for snaps last season.”
Former Steelers free safety Ryan Clark also recently revealed that Steelers’ assistant coach and secondary coach Joe Whitt Jr. told him the inside linebacker play needs to improve drastically this season.
“You have to get better play from the linebacker position. I know PG [Patrick Graham] is gonna have to figure that out from the defensive coordinator standpoint,” Clark said Monday on The Mina Kimes Show featuring Lenny. “Joe Whitt Jr., who’s now the actual — he’s the assistant head coach — and those are conversations I’ve had with him.
“I’ve had conversations with him about how do you fix the second level of this defense? That’s extremely important.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: AFC Personnel Evaluator Makes Blunt Statement About Patrick Queen
