The mid-west state of Ohio has produced a number of top NBA players over the years, including some of the greatest to play the sport of Basketball. Many have won championships, MVPs and achieved consistent success throughout their careers.

The Hall of Fame case for Frank Gore is the ultimate test of dominace vs longevity and statistical compiling.

A Third Round Pick from Miami (FL), Gore had his best year early in his career with a sophomore effort seeing Gore post career-highs in Rushing Yards (1,695) and Yards From Scrimmage (2,180).  Gore went to his first Pro Bowl that year, and was a Second Team All-Pro.  Over the next eight seasons with the Niners, Gore exceeded 1,000 Rushing Yards in seven of them, and earned four more trips to the Pro Bowl.

In 2015, Gore joined the Colts, and had his last 1,000 Yard season in 2016.  He would later play for Miami, Buffalo and the New York Jets.

Gore left the game with an even 16,000 Rushing Yards, which places him second all-time, and his 19,985 Yards From Scrimmage is fourth all-time.

With regards to Canton, Gore could be a first-year inductee or positioned for a long wait.  The stats are there, but a delay could arise, as at no point was, he ever considered the best at his position, nor might he be considered the top five in any group of Finalists.

Dontari Poe overachieved at Memphis, as the level he was recruited at going into college was not nearly the level he was pursued at as a pro.  A high First Round Pick in 2012, the massive Poe (340 lbs) was taken by the Kansas City Chiefs, who used him as their starting Nose Tackle for five years.

Poe was very good in that capacity, going to the Pro Bowl in both 2013 and 2014 and became solid inside rush stopper.  He would also make history on the offensive side of the ball, rushing a yard in both 2015 and 2016 for Touchdowns in both touches, and in 2016, he also threw for a yard, again resulting in a TD.  That makes him the heaviest player in NFL history to throw and rush for six!

Poe’s size caught up with him, and he was less effective in his last four years, where he bounced from Atlanta to Carolina and Dallas.  He retired with 20.5 Sacks.

Vontaze Burfict was once tabbed as a First Round Pick when he was at Arizona State, but a poor attitude and an even weaker combine resulted in all 32 teams passing on the Linebacker in the 2012 Draft.  The Bengals signed him as an undrafted player, and that polarizing aura that he had as a Sun Devil followed him as a Bengal.

Burfict made the Bengals and was the starting Right Linebacker in the third game of his pro career.  He would record 127 Combined Tackles as a rookie, and in his second season, Burfict went to the Pro Bowl in a season where he led the NFL in Combined Tackles (171).  The first two seasons of Burfict's career were good, but the history of his poor temperament would rear its ugly head.

In 2014, a concussion cost him time, and he was fined continuously for illegal hits.  He appeared in more games in 2015 and had a good year, but he is mostly known for delivering a blow to Antonio Brown late in the AFC Wild Card Game when the Wide Receiver was considered defenseless.  An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty followed this penalty by Adam Jones, and the 30 combined yards led to a successful Field Goal attempt by the Steelers who won the game.

Burfict remained a dynamic linebacker for the Bengals over the next three seasons, but he never came close to a full season due to suspensions.  He was released after the 2018 Season, and joined Oakland, but he was again suspended, this time for a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth week.  Due to his past infractions, he was suspended for the rest of the season, and he never played in the NFL again.

While his career was riddled with controversies, when he was on, few Linebackers could touch him.