This may be true, but "metal players" are a small percentage of the guitar playing population...generally speaking. Randy's influence and ideas transcended beyond the world of Metal, I think that was more my point.But it's true though about most modern metal players
having alot of Ed in them
As far as Randy "copying" EVH...
Randy has often expressed that he was "forced" to learn EVH style because that is what his students wanted at the time, and through teaching, he naturally adopted some of this into his own style. Now, is that copying? Maybe. But, if you master a style well enough to teach it - I think adopting some ideas as your own is bound to happen.
All I am saying is that Randy's overall influence on young guitarists will be strong long after EVH, for many reasons, most of which are pure opinion on my part.