Blake Lynch (born February 14, 1997) is an American football

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pl ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL). He played college football at Baylor.

College career

Born in

Gilmer, Texas Gilmer is a city in, and the county seat of, Upshur County, Texas. It is best known for being the home of the East Texas Yamboree and the birthplace of popular music singers Don Henley of the Eagles band and Johnny Mathis, as well as blues musician ...

, Lynch attended

Gilmer High School Gilmer High School is located in North Georgia in the city of Ellijay, Georgia, United States. It serves Gilmer County. It was established in August 1956 and enrolls about 1182 students in grades 9-12. It is a public high school of the State of ...

, where he played alongside future Vikings teammate

Kris Boyd Kris Boyd (born 18 August 1983) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played as a forward. Boyd grew up in the South Ayrshire village of Tarbolton and started his senior career with Kilmarnock. He transferred to Rangers in Januar ...

. After redshirting in his freshman year, he played college football for Baylor, where he made 32 career starts at five different positions (

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnove ...

, linebacker,

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are two slightly di ...

, wide receiver and

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. The ...

). In a four-year college career, he accrued 673 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns and 79 rushing yards.

Professional career

Minnesota Vikings

Lynch was signed by the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansio ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

following the

2020 NFL Draft The 2020 NFL Draft was the 85th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2020 NFL season. The first round was held on April 23, followed by the second and third rounds on April 24. The ...

on April 28, 2020. He was waived during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020, and signed to the team's practice squad the following day. He was elevated to the active roster on December 12 for the team's week 14 game against the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game. He played 13 snaps on special teams, and his only statistical contribution was a downed punt at the end of the Vikings' first drive of the game. He was promoted to the active roster on December 16, 2020, and played in the game against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

. He played one defensive snap, contributing one tackle assist, and 16 special teams snaps, making one tackle on kick coverage in the game. On August 30, 2022, Lynch was waived by the Vikings.

Arizona Cardinals

On October 18, 2022, Lynch was signed to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division, an ...

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract on January 11, 2023. He was released on May 15, 2023.

Los Angeles Chargers

On July 28, 2023, Lynch signed with the

. He was waived on August 29, 2023, and re-signed to the practice squad on October 24. Lynch was signed to the active roster on November 21.

References

External links

Minnesota Vikings bio

Baylor Bears football bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Blake 1997 births Living people People from Gilmer, Texas Players of American football from Texas American football linebackers American football defensive backs Baylor Bears football players Minnesota Vikings players Arizona Cardinals players Los Angeles Chargers players