The mood is 'hyped'

Setting the scene

Sunshine and about 83 degrees greeted packed stands and Vikings players during Monday's first padded practice of training camp. "Oohs" and "ahs" fell from the bleachers as receivers and cornerbacks fought for balls in 1-on-1 drills. Cornerback Terence Newman summed up the mood as only a veteran would: "Let's expletive go! That's what we were saying in the locker room," Newman said. "We were kind of hyped. I even put the 'expletive' in for you."

Sherels won't go quietly

Marcus Sherels, perhaps the quietest guy in the Vikings locker room, has been making some noise at the start of camp. Sherels intercepted quarterback Kyle Sloter on Monday — again. The veteran cornerback and return man also intercepted Sloter during Sunday's practice. Speculation abounds about Sherels' place on the roster in his ninth NFL season after the Vikings drafted a possible new punt returner in Mike Hughes. But Sherels continues to field punts in practice and make plays on defense. Defensive backs fared well overall. Hughes deflected a Trevor Siemian pass to receiver Tavarres King. Cornerback Trevon Mathis also came away with a pick while guarding receiver Cayleb Jones in 1-on-1 drills.

D-line cleans up

From Danielle Hunter to Sheldon Richardson, the Vikings defensive linemen looked a step ahead of their offensive counterparts during pass-rushing drills. The most even matchup came between left tackle Riley Reiff and defensive end Everson Griffen, who appeared to split their battles. Rookie tackle Brian O'Neill had his hands full with Hunter, who spun by him for an easy would-be sack during the session. The offense's top play came when quarterback Kirk Cousins found tight end Kyle Rudolph for an intermediate completion near linebacker Ben Gedeon.

Kickers go toe to toe

In the kicking competition, Kai Forbath did his best to keep pace with rookie Daniel Carlson, making all four of his attempts, from 32, 33, 40 and 46 yards. Carlson also came away from field goal drills a perfect 4-for-4. This comes after Carlson had the slight edge on Forbath during the spring, according to special teams coordinator Mike Priefer, who said Carlson made a few more field goals in OTAs.

Camp chatter

"Mike might be the quickest guy on the team." — running back Mack Brown, offering up his review of rookie cornerback Hughes while speaking to Gedeon after practice.

Injury report

• Right tackle Rashod Hill sat out practice because of an illness that has bothered him since the weekend.

• Receiver Stacey Coley (groin) missed a third consecutive practice.

• Center Pat Elflein remains on the physically-unable-to-perform list as he rehabs following shoulder and ankle surgeries.

• Linebacker Kentrell Brothers sat out a couple of drills while being evaluated by the training staff. Brothers at one point knelt on the ground and looked close to vomiting.

ANDREW KRAMMER