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<p class="MsoNormal" align="right" style="text-align:right"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">BAYLOR ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS – April 25, 2020</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">JAMES LYNCH DRAFTED BY MINNESOTA IN THE FOURTH ROUND OF 2020 NFL DRAFT
</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;background:white">Lynch is the first Bear at his position drafted since 2011.
</span></i></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">For more information contact: </span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black">Rachel Caton, (254) 652-2061, <a href="mailto:Rachel_Caton@baylor.edu"><span style="color:#954F72">Rachel_Caton@baylor.edu</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">WACO, Texas</span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"> – Defensive tackle James Lynch was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the fourth round
of the 2020 NFL Draft, the 120th pick overall, on day three of the draft. <span style="color:red">
<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:red"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lynch is just the 10th Bear at his position to be drafted and the first since Phil Taylor went in the first round to Cleveland in 2011.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">He is just the fifth to be drafted to Minnesota out of Waco and the first since linebacker Ray Berry 1987.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lynch earned unanimous All-America honors in 2019, the first Bear since 2015 and just the 10<sup>th</sup> Bear overall to earn the prestigious honor. The junior was only the
fourth Bear from the defensive side of the ball to be a consensus All-America honoree.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lynch was the 2019 Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year (AP and coaches) and Big 12 Lineman of the Year (coaches), leading the conference with 13.5 sacks, good for sixth-most
nationally and a single-season Baylor record. He also ranked second in the conference with 19.5 tackles-for-loss on the year, good for third-most in program single-season history. His three forced fumbles were second-most in the Big 12 and his two fumbles
recovered were fifth most. Overall, through 14 games played, the Round Rock, Texas, native amassed 41 total tackles.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:black"><br>
<span style="background:white">Lynch was also a finalist for the Hendricks Award, given to the nation's top defensive lineman and was on the preseason watch lists for the Outland Trophy and the Bednarik Award. He was named the </span><i>Dave Campbell Texas Football </i><span style="background:white">Texas
Colleges Player of the Year and was a First Team All-Big 12 honoree. In addition to his consensus All-America honors, he also earned First Team All-America honors from ESPN and </span><i>The Athletic</i><span style="background:white"> and Second Team All-America
honors from </span><i>Sports Illustrated</i><span style="background:white">. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">In three seasons in Waco, Lynch set a new Baylor record with 22.0 total sacks and ranks seventh with 33.5 career tackles-for-loss. He finished his collegiate career with 101
total tackles, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three blocked kicks.
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Lynch is the second Bear to be taken in the 2020 draft, following wide receiver Denzel Mims’ second-round selection to the New York Jets. The two draft picks so far are the most
since 2016 for the Bears. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">BAYLOR DEFENSIVE TACKLES IN THE NFL DRAFT (Since 1970)
<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1970 – Walter Groth – 13<sup>th</sup> Rd (332th), New York Jets
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1970 – Earl Maxfield – 17<sup>th</sup> Rd (433), Washington
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1980 – Gary Don Johnson – 7<sup>th</sup> (168), Cincinnati
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1985 – Pat Coryatt – 10<sup>th</sup> (273), Chicago
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1992 – Marcus Lowe – 10<sup>th</sup> (260<sup>th</sup>), Cleveland
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1995 – Steve Strahan – 6<sup>th</sup> (188<sup>th</sup>), Carolina
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">1996 – Daryl Gardener – 1<sup>st</sup> (20<sup>th</sup>), Miami
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">2003 – Ethan Kelley – 7<sup>th</sup> (243st), New England
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">2011 – Phil Taylor – 1<sup>st</sup> (21<sup>st</sup>), Cleveland
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">2020 – James Lynch – 4<sup>th</sup> Rd (130<sup>th</sup>), Minnesota
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:red"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u>BAYLOR DRAFT PICKS BY THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS<o:p></o:p></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>YEAR RND PICK NAME, POS.<o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1962 ^19 254 Tom Minter, B<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1984 3 67 Alfred Anderson, RB<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1984 5 140 Allen Rice, RB<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1987 2 44 Ray Berry, LB<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b>2020 4 130 James Lynch, DT <o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:red"><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><u><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">BAYLOR 2020 DRAFT SELECTIONS
<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">Denzel Mims, WR – New York Jets (2<sup>nd</sup> Round, 59<sup>th</sup> overall)
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">James Lynch, DT – Minnesota (4<sup>th</sup> Round, 130<sup>th</sup> overall)
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.5pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif">-baylorbears.com-<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:11.0pt"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;color:black">__________________________________</span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:6.5pt;color:black"> </span></b><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#154734">Rachel Caton</span></b><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"> | Associate Sports Information Director</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">Department of Athletics | Baylor University</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black">O: 254-710-3784 | C: 254-652-2061</span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:7.5pt;color:black"> </span><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://baylorbears.com/"><span style="color:windowtext;text-decoration:none"><img border="0" width="160" height="44" style="width:1.6666in;height:.4583in" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.png@01D61B08.EFC03DD0" alt="cid:image001.png@01D5070F.1E7C3CA0"></span></a><span style="color:black"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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