After giving Andre Patterson another pass rushing weapon to develop with the 117th overall pick, the Vikings selected Baylor defensive tackle James Lynch with the 130th pick.
Lynch is coming off a 2019 season where he was honored as the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year. He also led the entire draft in terms of total quarterback pressures with 70, another impressive stat for a player selected in the middle of the fourth round.
Lynch has the ability to come in and fill the need the Vikings have at the 3 technique position. He finished his 2019 season at Baylor with 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss.
Patterson now has two pieces to add in along his defensive line, an area that had to be addressed with some of the key losses to free agency. Lynch brings with him to Minnesota the ability to get after the quarterback and has the ability to jump into the defensive line rotation from day one.
Over the last few years, the Vikings haven’t found a ton of success when drafting players in the fourth round. However, it seems like they have found a lot of value this year with Lynch and D.J. Wonnum.