Minnesota Vikings: 10 best fifth round draft picks of all time

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30 Oct 1988: Running back Allen Rice of the Minnesota Vikings runs with the ball during a game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, California. The 49ers won the game 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Otto Greule /Allsport /

8. Allen Rice, RB – 1984

You don’t always have to be a superstar to make an impact. One example of this is Allen Rice, a backup running back who may not have ever reached 400 rushing or receiving yards in a season, but contributed well for seven seasons in purple and gold.

The 140th overall pick out of Baylor, Rice got a slow start to his NFL career. He played in 28 games during his first two seasons with Minnesota, earning only 163 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns to go with 120 receiving yards and two more scores.

Business would pick up for Rice. His third season in Minnesota saw him starting eight games and earning a total of 611 yards from scrimmage while scoring five touchdowns. His workload would stay heavy the next season when he ran the ball 110 times and ran in six scores.

Rice finished his seven seasons with the Minnesota Vikings totaling 934 yards on 307 carries with 13 rushing touchdowns plus 100 catches for 1,066 yards and six more scores. He was a dual-threat backup, which is quite valuable even in today’s NFL.

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