MOBILE, Ala. -- The Senior Bowl won't be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium until Saturday, but for NFL teams evaluating the 108 players in this year's game, most of the heavy lifting is done. Many coaching staffs, including the Minnesota Vikings' coaches, left town on Thursday, and while the team's front office will be here until Saturday, they're mostly staying for a meeting with the team's representative from the BLESTO scouting service.
The top of the draft board is stocked with underclassmen -- Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton, thought to be the top player in Mobile this week, generally isn't projected to go until the middle of the first round -- but there is value to be found here for the second and third days of the draft.
The Vikings have identified eight positions where they need to improve in 2015. Some of those could be filled by development from players the Vikings already have, and some could be solved through free agency in March. But for now, here's an early guess at a few areas where the Vikings could be looking for help, and a look at a few players who stood out in those areas during Senior Bowl practice this week.
Safety
Mississippi's Cody Prewitt has had an impressive week here, intercepting a pass on Tuesday, charging in to stop a reverse during Wednesday's practice and showing good strength and positioning during one-on-one red zone drills on Thursday. At 6-foot-2 and 212 pounds, he could make a nice second-round target for the Vikings if they wanted to put him next to Harrison Smith.
Middle linebacker
Clemson's Stephone Anthony was voted the top linebacker of Senior Bowl week by scouts who evaluated practice, and could be worth keeping in mind; he's 6-foot-2, 245 pounds and had solid speed for his size. Miami's Denzel Perryman might be too small to play middle linebacker in the NFL -- he's only 5-foot-11, and said earlier this week he's trying to get down to 235 pounds before the NFL scouting combine in February -- but he's looked stout against the run this week. Cincinnati's Jeff Luc has also been impressive. He's also 5-foot-11, but weighs 263 pounds and has run well in coverage at that weight.
Offensive line
Wisconsin's Rob Havenstein is a mountain of a man at 6-foot-7 and 332 pounds; he comes from a school that prides itself on power football, but looked better on his feet in pass-blocking drills than many thought he might. It remains to be seen if the Vikings will pursue help at the tackle position, as there were indications they spent some time with Havenstein this week. Duke guard Laken Tomlinson was voted the top lineman of the week, largely for how well he fared against Shelton in practice. He's got a compelling story -- he was born in Jamaica, double-majored in evolutionary anthropology and psychology at Duke, and has dreams of becoming a doctor -- and if the Vikings were looking for help at left guard, Tomlinson might catch their eye.
Wide receiver
The group here this week has been stocked with slot receivers -- Kansas State's Tyler Lockett had a good week, and said he talked a couple times with Vikings receivers coach George Stewart -- but Auburn's Sammie Coates is a name to keep in mind. At 6-foot-2, he's the best outside receiver prospect at the Senior Bowl. There's still concern about his hands, but he can fly (he could run the 40 in the 4.3 range at the combine) and is currently projected as an early second-round pick. The Vikings don't exactly need another unrefined player at receiver, but if they feel they can develop Coates, there's plenty there to like.