Regular visitors to notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. We will eventually do the same for major NCAA schools. As such, it is important to us that Fresno State has announced that they will induct Logan Mankins into their Ring of Honor.

The former Offensive Lineman will receive this honor during the Bulldogs’ home game against Boise State.

Mankins would start all 40 of his games in Fresno where he was a First Team All-WAC Selection in 2004.  His senior year was so strong that it vaulted his draft stock to where the New England Patriots chose him with the 32nd overall pick.  Professionally, Mankins would become a one-time First Team All-Pro and earn seven Pro Bowls. 

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate Logan Mankins for his impending honor.

The modern fullback seems like a relic of football’s past, but when used correctly, it is a thing of beauty to watch.  Lorenzo Neal might be the game’s last great Fullback.

A traditional back at Fresno State, Neal was converted to a Fullback by the team that drafted him, New Orleans, to the position. In 1997, he set a record by blocking for 11 consecutive 1,000-yard rushers in history.  After playing for multiple teams, his best and most recognized run came in San Diego, where he paved the way for Hall of Fame Running Back LaDainian Tomlinson and earned multiple Pro Bowls and an All-Decade Selection. 

The odds of him getting enshrined in Canton are not strong, but his accomplishments set him apart from most fullbacks from his era.

A seven-time Pro Bowler who spent the majority of his career with the New England Patriots, Logan Mankins fought his way from being an undersized Offensive Lineman to a First Round Draft Pick to a First Team All-Pro Selection.  The former Fresno State Bulldog did not win the Super Bowl with New England, but he helped protect Tom Brady and led his team to two big dances.  An exemplary run-blocker, Mankins suffers the same problem as Raiders lineman Steve Wisnieuski: he wasn’t on a championship team and doesn't get pushes from his fan base as a less talented player who does have a ring.

Notably, Mankins was also a Pro Bowl selection seven times, including his final season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Generally, non-quarterbacks don’t have spectacular seasons in their 30s, but Henry Ellard did.  In fact, he really didn’t become a star in the National Football League until he turned 27.

The first few years of Henry Ellard’s career were fairly nondescript, but he would then see his number called more often, and he responded with seven seasons of 1,000 yards or more.   He became the Rams’ go-to receiver and would perform the same duty as a Washington Redskin.  He excelled as a brilliant route runner, but his talents often went unnoticed in the Jerry Rice era. 

What also hurts his Hall of Fame candidacy is that for all the yards he tabulated through passes, his touchdown tally (65) is relatively low.  Without that sexy statistic and with only three Pro Bowl berths, this could explain why someone who accumulated so many yards (13,777) has not been given serious consideration for enshrinement.