The excitement of the NFL never stops.

Less than three weeks removed from Seattle's success in Super Bowl LX, the football society — coaches, front offices and media members — are populating Indianapolis this week for the NFL Scouting Combine.

The first half of the week will be dominated by medical evaluations and interviews with clubs; then on Thursday punters, kickers, defensive linemen and linebackers will get going the on-field testing and drills.

Plenty of Vikings-centric content will be pushed out, beginning later today when Head Coach Kevin O'Connell and acting General Manager Rob Brzezinski take turns chatting with Twin Cities beat writers.

Updates on Minnesota's draft strategies since former GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was relieved of his duties, as well as insights on the team's current roster and updated coaching staff, will be hot topics discussed by O'Connell and Brzezinski. But, what about the actual players in Indy aiming to impress?

The Athletic's Dane Brugler is one of the topical experts — and there's 21 prospects he can't wait to see.

Brugler on Monday supplied briefs on Mississippi State WR Brenen Thompson, his pick for this year's fastest 40-yard dash; Oregon S Dillon Thieneman, who has been projected to Minnesota in many mock drafts circulating the web and has Brugler interested in how his range on tape translates to the athletic testing; Indiana CB D'Angelo Ponds, whose lack of size is what it is; and Cincinnati LB Jake Golday, whose buzz could get loud if he tests as well as some imagine he will at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, among others.

Interestingly, three of Brugler's entries — Thieneman, South Carolina CB Brandon Cisse and Tennessee CB Jermod McCoy — have been tied to the Vikings in our recent mock draft roundups (SEE: Version 3.0).

Here's what Brugler wrote about each:

With his scheme versatility, Thieneman can bring all kinds of value to a defense. He can make plays over the top in coverage or downhill as a run defender with his speed and athleticism. I am eager to see how that range manifests itself in his athletic testing numbers. Will his performance be enough to punch his ticket for a top-25 selection?

…

Although the tape is uneven, I felt comfortable including Cisse in my midseason top 50, primarily because of his athletic upside. He plays with quick-twitch and easy speed, which should translate to a 40 time in the 4.3s and 40-plus-inch vertical explosion numbers. Cisse should put on a show.

…

[McCoy] is more than a year removed from the ACL injury he suffered in January 2025, so teams will have a good understanding of his recovery. Is he far along enough in his rehab timeline to work out in Indianapolis? If not, will he work out at his pro day? The combine should provide answers to those questions about a player in the running to be CB1 in this class.

You can read Brugler's full article on the 21 players he's especially interested in watching perform here.

Daniel Jeremiah's Updated Top 50

The media personality and former NFL scout has updated his Top 50 prospects ranking.

Jeremiah on Monday increased some general interest in Indiana receiver Omar Cooper, Jr., as well as Miami cornerback Keionte Scott, who both debuted in the second iteration of his list after he studied them for the first time. Cooper cracked the Top 20 at No. 19 and Scott checked in at No. 45. Missouri edge Zion Young also jumped into the Top 50 at No. 47 after being left out in Jeremiah's initial ranking.

Due to the emergence of those three, Jeremiah moved out of the Top 50 his originally graded Nos. 44, 49 and 50 players: Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II, Texas A&M OL Chase Bisontis and Louisville WR Chris Bell.

Jeremiah described Cooper, who caught 69 passes for 937 yards and 13 touchdowns for the National Champion Hoosiers, as "one of my favorite players to study in this year's draft," touting his lower-body strength to run through press coverage, his fluidity as a route runner and his fearlessness in pulling in "combat catches" over the middle of the field. He also has tackle-breaking power and pull-away speed.

Scott, meanwhile, is a dynamic nickelback in Jeremiah's eyes, who is an "excellent force player, blitzer and energy provider." Jeremiah noted Scott is an older prospect at age 24 but is ready to be an instant contributor. Scott spent three seasons at Auburn before racking up 64 tackles, including 13 for a loss, 5.0 sacks and a pair of pick sixes in his lone campaign for the National Champion runner-up 'Canes in 2025.

The Big Ten- and SEC-developed edge Young, who played two seasons in each conference (first at Michigan State and then Missouri), is a "little bit of a herky-jerky mover, but he has heavy hands to jolt blockers and create knock-back pop," according to Jeremiah. Additionally, Young presents three-down value as someone who works extremely hard against the pass and the run. He really broke out in his final college season, recording 16.5 TFLs and 6.5 sacks, along with two forced fumbles for Missouri in 2025.

Here's a few of the other main takeaways from Jeremiah's updated Top 50 prospects:

• Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza and Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love kept their 1-2 statuses
• Ohio State WR Carnell Tate made the biggest leap inside the Top 10, climbing two spots to No. 7, and USC WR Makai Lemon had the largest decline among the top guys, falling three places to 10
• Toledo S Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq had sizable rises to Nos. 15 (up four) and 16 (up five), and, conversely, Texas A&M edge Cashius Howell dropped four spots to 21
• Tennessee CB Colton Hood, initially Jeremiah's No. 16 prospect, and Clemson WR Antonio Williams (36), both slid 10 slots for the most significant changes; and the biggest jump belongs to Arizona State tackle Max Iheanachor, who gained seven spots and was reintroduced at No. 34

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