Playing his entire career with the Washington Redskins, Jerry Smith was one of the new breed of Tight Ends who were redefining the position.  Smith was an adequate blocker, but he caught passes at the same rate as wide receivers, a trait uncommon in the 1960s and 1970s.  Smith would help the Redskins reach their first Super Bowl, and he finished in the top ten in Receptions four times and Receiving Touchdowns five times.  He was a Pro Bowl twice, and in 1969, he was named a First Team All-Pro.

At the time of his retirement, Smith had the most Touchdowns by a Tight End.

We would be remiss if we did not mention that Smith passed away in 1986 due to complications from AIDS.  He was a closeted player, though some of his teammates were aware of his sexual orientation.  Considering that there has yet to be a player in the NFL as of 2019 who played while openly gay, it can only be imagined the internal struggle that he had.

When you think of the state of Florida and the game of football, Fred Taylor is one of those names that should come up in the conversation.  He is from the state; he played his college ball at the University of Florida (where he helped them win the National Championship), and he played professionally for the Jacksonville Jaguars for the first 11 years of his career.

Taylor made the All-Rookie team with a career-high 14 Rushing Touchdowns and 1,223 Yards on the ground, and provided he was healthy, he was going to get you at least 1,000 Rushing Yards.  He did that six more times in his career, peaking at 1,572 in 2003 and earning a Pro Bowl in 2007.  He played with the Jags until 2008, then finished his career in New England for two years.  He retired with 11,695 Rushing Yards.

While Taylor never finished higher than sixth in Rushing Yards in a season, he was in the top ten in Yards per Attempt eight times, which is an impressive feat indeed.

Simeon Rice's pro career began in 1996, when the Arizona Cardinals drafted him third overall.   Playing at Defensive End, Rice proved his worth instantly with a 12.5 Sack year and won the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award.  Rice played with the Cardinals for five seasons and had three 10-plus-sack years there, peaking with 16.5 in 1998, which was good enough for second overall.

Rice would sign with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2001, adding to an already potent defensive corps.  He would be part of Tampa’s dominating Super Bowl win in 2002, and he would again finish second in Sacks (15.5) and was named a First Team All-Pro.  The year after, he went to his third Pro Bowl, again was second in Sacks with 15.5, and led the NFL in Forced Fumbles (6).  With the Bucs, Rice had five consecutive 11-plus sack seasons (2001-05). 

He played until 2007 and retired with 122.0 Sacks, which was phenomenal considering how little he faced the pass rush in comparison to his peers.

The Chairman (Kirk Buchner) and Evan Nolan look at the two seperate classes for the PFHOF, Darren Sproles stating that he is a Hall of Famer, Congress looking to elect Curt Flood, and full teams in the HHOF.