Adrian Peterson remembers well the anticipation leading up to his first Pro Bowl appearance.

Following a breakout rookie season, Peterson arrived in Hawaii for the 2008 game as one of the newcomers to the Pro Bowl experience and promptly won MVP honors with a 129-yard, two-touchdown performance.

The Minnesota Vikings running back earned a seventh selection this season and can relate to a sizable contingent of first-time participants who will take the field at 2 p.m. today for the 35th NFL all-star game to be held at Aloha Stadium.

“There’s a lot of first-year guys here, so I kind of flashed back to my first year,” Peterson said after a practice at the Turtle Bay Resort. “The whole week I was working out, I was getting my conditioning in. I was ready and I won the MVP that year. I think just for that it’s going to be more aggressive with so many young guys being here.”

Of the 88 players on the rosters of Team Irvin and Team Rice, 43 are playing in their first Pro Bowl, with 27 of those here as replacements for members of the Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos — otherwise occupied gearing up for the Super Bowl a week from today — or others who pulled out due to injury.

In all, 42 players originally selected ended up not coming over, opening opportunities for a group of new players to add their names to the Pro Bowl’s all-time roster.

“Definitely an honor to be recognized,” said fifth-year Buffalo quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who earned his first invitation in place of Carolina’s Cam Newton. “It’s definitely something that I worked hard toward. … Of course you want to be playing in the playoffs, but excited for the opportunity.”

Over three days of typically casual practices, the teams jogged through their plays on a field tucked between Turtle Bay’s Fazio golf course and the thundering surf rolling into the North Shore last week.

Arizona Cardinals special teams standout Justin Bethel said playing last year’s Pro Bowl on his home field at University of Phoenix Stadium was “cool just because it’s easier to get your family out there and friends and all that stuff.”

“But there’s nothing like coming out here and the scenery and being in a different place, a different setting and it’s more like you actually get to enjoy yourself,” said Bethel, a three-time Pro Bowl pick.

Today’s game — announced as a sellout on Friday — marks the third year of the Pro Bowl’s unconferenced format, with the pool of players divided into teams captained by Hall of Fame receivers Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin in a fantasy-style draft.

Rice and Irvin both own three Super Bowl rings and enter today’s game at 1-0 as Pro Bowl captains. Team Rice rallied past Deion Sanders’ squad in 2014 at Aloha Stadium and Irvin earned bragging rights over Cris Carter last year in Arizona.

“We had so many great years together — it was real competitive and I always wanted to outdo Michael Irvin,” Rice said at the press conference to kick off Pro Bowl week “and it’s going to be the same way in this Pro Bowl.”

Irvin responded in complimentary fashion to Rice … sort of.

“I want to lift Jerry way up so when I beat him it’ll put me on top of him,” Irvin said. “He’s a great dude, he’s done great things. But I’m gonna beat him, greatly.”

Rice won the coin flip and didn’t miss a beat in selecting the duo of Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald as player captains. That sent Falcons running back Devonta Freeman and Bengals defensive tackle Geno Atkins to Team Irvin.

The following day Irvin opened the draft by selecting Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson with the first pick and Rice paired Giants quarterback Eli Manning with Beckham.

Wilson will share snaps with Tampa Bay rookie Jameis Winston and Minnesota’s Teddy Bridgewater on Team Irvin, while Team Rice will rotate Manning, Taylor and Oakland’s Derek Carr.

Team Rice will be coached by Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs staff. Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy wasn’t able to attend due to illness and Packers associate head coach Winston Moss will lead Team Irvin.

“We’re going to go out there and compete,” said Donald, already listed on the roster as a member of the Los Angeles Rams in anticipation of the team’s impending move from St. Louis. “We’re going to protect each other, but we’re going to go out there and try to fly around and have fun and try to win. That’s what it’s about.”

Said Peterson, this season’s NFL rushing champion: “We have a lot of alpha males over here, or we wouldn’t be here. So when those competitive juices start flowing … the fans will get what they want.”