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

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CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 28, 1975: Linebacker John Garlington #50 of the Cleveland Browns tackles running back Brent McClanahan #33 of the Minnesota Vikings during a game on September 28, 1975 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. Minnesota won 42-10. (Photo by: Paul Tepley Collection/Diamond Images/Getty Images) /

6. Brent McClanahan, RB/ST – 1973

It’s not often enough that great contributors on special teams and unappreciated positions like fullback are celebrated, but Brent McClanahan turned out to be an excellent value when he was taken with a fifth-round pick.

The Minnesota Vikings grabbed McClanahan with Pick 118 and immediately used him on kickoff returns. His rookie year saw him return 16 kickoffs for 410 yards, an impressive average of 25.6 yards per return.

He would continue to hold down the job as the Vikings return man for three seasons but also got mixed into the offense. In 1975, he ran 9 times for Minnesota and that number grew to 130 the next year with 1977 having 95 carries.

Sadly, injuries sidelined McClanahan and he was phased out of the offense and return game. Eventually, he retired from the game and went on to become a teacher of Computer Applications and has earned the NFL Teacher of the Year award.

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