MANKATO, Minn. -- As highly touted Minnesota Vikings running backs go, the rookie output of their 2017 edition probably won't look much like that of a decade before.

Neither the Vikings' scheme nor the constitution of their backfield figures to put Dalvin Cook in a situation where his numbers will compare favorably to the ones Adrian Peterson posted in 2007, when he set a NFL single-game rushing record on his way to 1,341 yards. Cook, for his part, has little interest in stoking comparisons with the man he's helping to replace in Minnesota.

"That wouldn't be fair to him," Cook said. "[He's a] future Hall of Fame[r]. This is my first year in the NFL. I'm not as close to him, so I can't compare myself to him at all. He's going to go down as one of the greatest backs in history, probably, so I've just got to go out there and work. I can't have that in my head. Adrian Peterson is one of the greats, one of the people I look up to, so I can't compare myself to him."

Cook, though, will get his chance to succeed the Vikings' all-time leading rusher, in an offense that now fits better with his skill set than it would have with Peterson's at this point. The Vikings will divide the workload between Cook, Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon, but as Murray missed all of the team's offseason program while recovering from ankle surgery, Cook got plenty of time with the top offensive unit. And on Sunday, as the Vikings' quarterbacks, rookies and injured players reported to training camp for three days of early work, Murray remained cautious about when he'd be able to take the field.

"My health is really good. I'm feeling good, and progress is coming along," Murray said. "But as far as practice, I'm not sure yet. I've still got to get with Coach [Mike Zimmer] and the training staff and see what they'll have me do."

It's the first time in a decade the Vikings will enter camp with any question about the identity of their top running back, and they'll likely have work available for all three backs. Murray said Sunday he wants "to be taking snaps as the No. 1 guy," and his reliability as a pass protector could earn him more playing time, particularly as Cook adapts to that part of the NFL.

"For the young running backs, pass protection is always the No. 1 thing," Zimmer said. "They've got to be able to protect the quarterback on the pressures, so that'll be a good test for Dalvin. I know that Latavius has done that a lot in the past, and Jerick had a chance to do quite a bit of it last year. I don't anticipate that being a problem. I feel good about the running back spot."

Where Cook factors into the group will be determined over the next several weeks, but an offense that's sometimes lacked playmakers, apart from Peterson, could get a boost from turning the rookie loose.

"I thought he had a really good spring," Zimmer said. "With running backs, the vision and acceleration to the hole are always big. I thought he did a really [good] job with those things. For a shorter-stature guy, in college at least, he was a physical back. He carried his pads out in front of him. [It's about] him taking the hits, delivering the hits and holding onto the football."