MOBILE, Ala. — Have you heard? The Draft starts in Mobile.

In three months, Minnesota will be on the clock aiming to bolster its roster via the 2026 NFL Draft. That means the Vikings personnel department has roughly 12 weeks to laminate their final scouting assessments, collaborate with the coaching staff and then come to an agreement about whom to select.

There’s good odds at least one Class of ’26 Vikings draft pick graced Abe Mitchell Field at Hancock Whitney Stadium, home to the University of South Alabama, this week. It’s wild but true: the club has drafted one or more Senior Bowl participants every year but four (1981, 1972, 1971 and 1962), and the Vikings last season had 15 former Senior Bowlers with seven that signed as rookie or veteran free agents.

Accordingly, it’s valuable to have boots on the ground. And so this year, I was fortunate to travel to the 22nd State after being passed the Senior Bowl coverage torch by Vikings.com Senior Editor Craig Peters.

For the better part of three days I observed the talent on the field, including Vikings assistant coaches Ryan Cordell and Pat Hill (you’ll enjoy an in-depth story on them coming soon), and the talent evaluators who packed the bleachers and the box suites overlooking the action. Expectedly, I loved every second of the competition, as well as the opportunity to see what scouts see (but not so much the extreme cold that swept over the area and made me miss my beanie and gloves that I stubbornly left in Minneapolis).

Filed from one-of-a-kind downtown Mobile, decorated from street signs to the river bank with Panini Senior Bowl fanfare and bustling sunup to sundown with personnel departments, agents and media members, here’s a notebook style guide to what captivated me during two sets of practices from Tuesday-Thursday this week. The 77th installment of the Senior Bowl kicks off Saturday at 1:30 p.m. CT.

Day 1 Observations

It’s not hard to spot players when they finish reps at the football. That’s partly why National Team linebacker Kyle Louis so clearly flashed in Tuesday’s session; he was often around the ball. The shortest in his position group at just under 6-feet, the Pittsburgh product is sculpted like a defensive back — and moves like one too! — but showed off a skill set that could make him effective near the line of scrimmage. (That makes for an easy comparison to versatile Vikings safety Joshua Metellus, who was a participant at the 2020 Senior Bowl (before Minnesota scooped him up in the sixth round that year) and has played virtually every defensive position, save for putting his hand in the dirt.) On the first day of practice, Louis looked like a natural lining up in the box as well as over the slot. He smoothly operated his backpedal and hip swivels in individual drills and he eagerly got downhill in competitive team periods.

The Day 1 highlights for Louis included an interception in 1-on-1 coverage against Penn State’s Nick Singleton, in which he preserved inside leverage when the running back tried to fake a route to the outside and then cut back across his face. Louis didn’t buy the sell and tipped the pass to himself for a pick. The takeaway complemented another stellar rep in a different mano-a-mano setting where he dipped and ripped in a blink past Clemson RB Adam Randall in pass pro. The versatility to do both at a high level suggests his tweener size won’t stop Louis from claiming an NFL role. For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Mel Kiper, Jr., listed Louis as his No. 4 safety prospect. Over his final two seasons at Pitt, Louis amassed 182 tackles, including 24 for losses, 10 sacks and six interceptions (one 59-yard pick six in ’24).

His Day 2 effort didn’t go unnoticed, either (he popped Day 3, too). ESPN’s Matt Miller posted on X that he was impressed with Louis’ closing speed and coverage abilities. Miller wrote: “He can absolutely fly.”