Day 1 goes well for Peterson

The royal collarbone made it through Friday unscathed. And all was well for Adrian Peterson -- along with Tom, Dick, Harry and the rest of Peterson's nameless teammates during the Vikings' first day of rookie minicamp at Winter Park.

Yes, the Vikings' much-hyped first-round draft choice made his debut in a purple uniform, participating in all portions of a 75-minute workout. He was joined by seven other draft picks, 15 rookie free agents, three former members of the practice squad and 28 players with tryout status whom the team would not identify.

(For the record, Peterson blew past Joe Blow to grab a reception in the flat early in practice. John Doe, meanwhile, had no chance against him a few plays later.)

"It's all sinking in," Peterson said afterward. "Just being out here and having that purple helmet on, representing the Vikings, it's tangible. It's finally here."

Peterson said his right collarbone, reinjured Jan. 1 in the Fiesta Bowl, is "feeling good right now." The Vikings will re-evaluate his condition after Sunday's conclusion to minicamp, which by NFL rule is noncontact. The team has not ruled out surgery if the injury does not fully heal on its own.

Peterson said that decision will be made "eventually" but added: "Right now, I'm just focusing on me." If surgery is deemed necessary, Peterson's availability for the start of training camp would be in question.

"Right now," he said, "I'm just focused on getting these plays in. It's something you really have to study and put time in to get these plays and the different terminology, the language. That's really my main focus right now. I've been out here practicing. [The collarbone] hasn't given me any problems so I'm just going to push right ahead."

Already, Peterson's arrival has brought him local celebrity status, along with a buzz the team hasn't enjoyed in more than a year. Vikings fans recognized him Thursday on a flight from Dallas to the Twin Cities, albeit thanks to the team-issue shirt he was wearing, and Peterson is beginning to understand the popularity typically assigned to the No. 7 overall pick in the draft.

"I'm just here to try to help turn things around," Peterson said. "I'm definitely prepared for it. It's on a totally different level being in the NFL, but [playing at Oklahoma] kind of helped me work my way to being able to handle it. I feel like I've been prepared well, and I'm just looking forward to the experience."

The efforts of John Doe and Joe Blow aside, it was difficult to read too much into Friday's workout, which came after one day of studying a trimmed-down version of the Vikings playbook. Coaches are more interested in seeing speed, confidence and sure movement than technical proficiency.

Based on that criteria, coach Brad Childress said, Peterson "did about what we thought he could do."He didn't hiccup at all, I don't think," Childress said. "I think he showed some speed to the outside and pretty good vision on the quick draw up the middle."

Peterson also drew praise for his work during 1-on-1 receiving drills against linebackers, showing an ease for catching the ball that was not often on display in the run-heavy Oklahoma offense.

"It's definitely something I can handle," Peterson said. "I'll continue to work on it. There's always room for improvement, just staying focused on the little things that are going to bring your game to the next level. Catching the ball is definitely one of the things they like to do with the running back, so I will just keep improving catching the ball and just my overall game."

Kevin Seifert • kseifert@startribune.com