John Randle to Vikings Coach After Lynch Selection: 'You Got My Guy'

[Viktor]

Randle, who said he hopes to connect with Lynch soon, said he couldn't imagine a better landing spot for Lynch than with Patterson, who has coached the likes of Randle, the late Chris Doleman, Danielle Hunter and others in his NFL coaching career.


"Teams have their pick of you, but you couldn't pick a better coach than Dre," Randle said. "He's a guy who's going to teach you more than football, he's going to teach you things that are going to enable you to be a better player and a better person.


"If he ever needs anything, he can talk to Andre Patterson," added Randle, who was coached by Patterson in 1998 and 1999. "There was so much tutelage I learned from being around Andre."


Patterson said he's excited to work with Lynch, who stands at 6-foot-4 and 289 pounds and is projecting to be a 3-technique defensive tackle after playing a substantial amount of defensive end in Baylor's system.


Lynch also broke up five passes, forced three fumbles and blocked two kicks in 2019. He explained after his selection how comfortable he felt during his formal meeting with Vikings coaches at the combine and that he had admired the defensive line's approach from afar.


"I feel like watching them more as a team, the way they celebrated, the way they had fun, that's what football is really about," Lynch said. "The easiest thing to watch is them dominating and them having a good time while they're doing it. You can't ask for much more than that, so that's what I'm excited about."


Patterson said Lynch has shown physicality and a "high-motor."


"They played him at defensive end, outside the tackle, and then they kicked him down inside over the guard," Patterson said. "And where he played, for him to get 13.5 sacks last year was outstanding. He has a natural feel of how to rush the passer.