Three different Cowboys defenders make this list, and you could make a case for Jaylon Smith, too. Harris has four Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro appearance in 2016, but his play has slipped over the past couple of years, and smaller cornerbacks typically don't do well after they turn 30. Mack is entering what is likely to be his final season with the Falcons. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Meanwhile, Johnson spent the first 12 years of his career with the expansion Texans, who didnt make the playoffs until his ninth season with quarterback play that ran the gamut from dreadful to above average. I've split players into four groups. There are another 11 players who aren't yet Hall-eligible, and five of them are locks to do the same. He could roll off a string of these nods in the years to come. Whether Johnson will be there to welcome Watt into the Hall of Fame will be interesting. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) is a metric designed to estimate a player's chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame using AV, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships, and various stat milestones. Of the nine corners who have debuted since the NFL-AFL merger and made the Hall of Fame, just two had been a first-team All-Pro by their third season, which puts White in good company alongside Rod Woodson and then-corner Ronnie Lott. Of all the young receivers, Moss is the only one to accomplish more through the first five seasons of his career. He's in line behind guys like Atkins unless the USC product continues to make Pro Bowls deep into his 30s. Hekker's case is interesting. He'll have a better shot once reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. One issue: Five of those six are running backs, with Randy Moss as the only exception. Contemporaries Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne also made the finalists cut from 15 to 10 with Johnson, but likewise didnt gain election. Unless Evans has a Powell-esque decline or gets radically overshadowed by a teammate la Holt with Isaac Bruce, then Evans seems to have a good chance to get into the Hall eventually. It might seem surprising to put Hill this high, but he has made it to four Pro Bowls and been a first-team All-Pro twice across his first four seasons. (Justin Simmons, who was one of the NFL's best safeties a year ago, is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl appearance.). Even if Hopkins takes a step backward without Deshaun Watson, he's probably just a couple of Pro Bowls from getting in. If you need something more, Fitzgerald's 2008 playoff run is probably the best postseason from any receiver in league history. He rarely gets the public attention he deserves, but the Pro Bowl voters haven't ignored the interior disruptor, who has earned eight Pro Bowl nods and a pair of first-team All-Pro votes. After five consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns, I wonder whether Landry actually has a better shot of surpassing his friend and longtime teammate. If a receiver can enter the league and perform well right away at a boyish age, that speaks well for his future as he develops. He needs to have a second act and have another selling point -- either winning a Super Bowl, competing for another MVP award or making it to a handful of Pro Bowls -- to have a viable path to a gold jacket. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Andrew Thomas. Likely (70% to 99%): S Earl Thomas. ln the running (40% to 69%): RB Alvin Kamara, DE Cameron Jordan, CB Marshon Lattimore. What happens next is critical for Gurley, who would have seemed on the road to Canton after taking home Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and adding an Offensive Player of the Year award two years later. In both cases, I'm looking mostly at the historical output for first overall picks. The Saints have the best tackle combination in football, but Armstead went underappreciated before picking up steam over the past couple of years and Ramczyk raised his game in 2019. An interesting case could be made for Frank Gore, who is third all-time in rushing with 16,000 yards in a 16-season career with five teams, but tied for 19th in touchdowns with 81. Get started >>. Marcedes Lewis has been in the NFL for a long time. Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor. Art Monk<br>1980-1995. If you think this is too early for the 2019 seventh overall pick, think again. In the running (40% to 69%): CB Tre'Davious White. Lock (100%): DT Aaron Donald. The only exceptions are a pair of interior offensive linemen (Alan Faneca and Steve Wisniewski) and safety John Lynch. But given the relatively small number of modern-era inductees each year a minimum of three and maximum of five now is a good time to look at the ballot in upcoming years and notable players wholl become eligible for election and may impact Johnsons fate with voters. Of the seven players eligible for the Hall of Fame who made it to the Pro Bowl in their age-21 campaign, six are in the Hall. Interior OL | Edge Bakhtiari, likewise, is blocked by Tyron Smith. The Hall of Fame Game, like the rest of the preseason, has been canceled during the coronavirus pandemic. Itll be interesting to see if that stellar stretch is good enough to get him in Canton. Jets, Browns tapped for 2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago. Jones now has five consecutive seasons with at least 10 sacks. No offensive lineman is ever a lock when guys like Faneca still aren't enshrined, but Smith plays the most prominent position on the line for the most popular team in the league. Xavien Howard made the Pro Bowl in 2018 and would be the best candidate, but he has missed an average of six games per season across his four pro campaigns. At the combine, he measured in at 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds and ran an impressive 4.53-second 40-yard dash. The Notre Dame product probably needs a second one to have a viable shot at Canton. Podcast: Stat superlatives His PFR Hall of Fame score of 94.2 ranks ahead of several wide receivers already in the Hall of Fame, including Michael Irvin, Art Monk, Andre Reed and Lynn Swann. Heres what those guys did in their first five seasons and where they rank among all receivers in the age-21-to-25 cohort. Winning an MVP in Year 2 obviously leaps Jackson into consideration on its own, but it doesn't seal it. The only Hall-eligible players drafted since 1970 who have five of those and aren't in the Hall are Alan Faneca and Zach Thomas. The shrine in Canton, Ohio, is one that hasnt been easy to gain membership in through the years. He deserves it. I would put Gronkowski's chance somewhere around 99%. Thielen only emerged as a starter after turning 26, which means he would have to play into his late 30s to have a chance at racking up the cumulative stats modern wide receivers will need for enshrinement. Lock (100%): QB Patrick Mahomes. 1 min read. You could also make the argument that Murray should be up a level after being taken with the No. Published: August 24, 2021. While the wide receiver logjam is a disaster for Hall of Fame voters, Moss should present a no-brainer case one day as a first-ballot choice. Pro Football WR Hall of Fame Monitor The Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor (HOFm) is a metric designed to estimate a player's chances of making the Pro Football Hall of Fame using AV, Pro Bowls, All-Pros, championships, and various stat milestones. David has been supremely underrated during his career, but after earning a first-team All-Pro nod in 2013, he has made it to a lone Pro Bowl over the ensuing six seasons. If you want to know why people are excited about the Cowboys' offense in 2020, consider that they could have as many as five future Hall of Famers lining up when everyone's healthy. Mosley needs to be recognized as the best inside linebacker in the game at least a couple of times; after missing virtually all of 2019 with a groin injury, he has opted out of the 2020 season over concerns for his family's health. Since 1950, 12 players have won two or more rushing titles. So this is really a list of 15. The Defensive Player of the Year candidate was named a first-team All-Pro in 2015 and 2019, but he hasn't received any other nominations across his other five pro seasons. If he recovers and returns to his 2017-18 form, he still has plenty of time to get back on the Canton track, given that he turned 26 this week. Or write about sports? Za'Darius Smith might have been the best pass-rusher in the league last season and has been great over the past two years on a snap-by-snap basis, but he turns 28 in September. Only Chandler Jones and Aaron Donald have more sacks since the start of 2017. Peppers, who played for the Panthers (twice), Bears and Packers, ranks fourth on the NFLs all-time sack list with 159 and was also on the Halls All-Decade Team for the 2000s and 2010s. Thomas now has three Pro Bowls and two first-team All-Pro nods in four years, and while there might be some sort of drop-off if Brees retires, the Ohio State product did just fine with Teddy Bridgewater on the field in 2019. Quarterbacks like Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Steve McNair won league MVP without earning enshrinement. Inside linebackers generally need to become Defensive Player of the Year candidates and earn multiple first-team All-Pro appearances to get serious consideration for Canton, but Edmunds is off to a great start. In recent years Seattle has gained somewhat of a reputation as being the last stop for future Hall of Fame wide receivers. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Davante Adams, OT David Bakhtiari, LB Za'Darius Smith. At the same time, Green has missed 23 games over the past two years with injuries. In the running (40% to 69%): OT Trent Williams. In the running (40% to 69%): WR Odell Beckham Jr., WR Jarvis Landry. Since the merger, 11 offensive linemen have been named a first-team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons, and nine of them are in the Hall of Fame. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Todd Gurley. He played 16 seasons, but never led the league in any notable statistical category other than interceptions. The former star wide receiver on Thursday was not elected in his second time as a modern-era finalist in as many years of eligibility. Where does Evans slot in? Greg Rajan is the senior editor for Texas Sports Nation, the Houston Chronicle's sports website, and also curates the daily TXSN newsletter and writes about sports media. Returning to form and earning a seventh Pro Bowl nod in his first season with the Ravens got Thomas back on track. I think Thomas is a prohibitive favorite to get in. Gore is third in career rushing yards, which owes much to the fact that he also ranks third in carries. Green. All of these guys have something in their favor, but it isn't enough to propel them to meaningful consideration as of yet. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . The Nebraska product nearly won a Super Bowl with the Rams in 2018, but a win with the Bucs and one more All-Pro appearance would greatly help his chances. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. The only player in the Hall of Fame primarily for his work as a punter is Ray Guy, and you could make a case that Hekker is on that track. If the Falcons had held on to their lead and won the Super Bowl, Ryan would have won game MVP, and his 2016 probably would have been enough for a gold jacket. Adams has two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro nod across his first three seasons, putting him in a group with safeties such as Kenny Easley, Steve Atwater, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. He repeated that feat in 2019, but he'll need to have Campbell's longevity and continue at this level into his mid-30s to have a viable path to the Hall. He might not make it on the first ballot, but he should make it eventually. Hes top-10 in passing yards and touchdowns, so hell get a gold jacket at some point, if not on the first ballot. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? The Hall is forgiving of running backs, and Bell's versatility should age well, but he has missed a lot of time through injuries, suspensions and his 2018 holdout. Okudah's presence owes to his draft status as the No. McShay's favorite pick for all 32 teams Kamara was also Offensive Rookie of the Year, which helps his chances further. Rodgers inked a three-year, $150 million extension with the Packers last March, but reports . Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, CB Darius Slay. Let's see whether we can get a sense of who those 50 are right now: Jump to a team: Both are locks for election. Graham's case is interesting. Running backs mean less than they have in the past, but Terrell Davis just made the Hall for what really amounted to a three-season stretch as the best running back in football. Roy Williams is the lone Hall-eligible safety who didn't follow his early success to Canton. The best trade Andy Reid ever made was moving up in the draft for Mahomes in 2017. He should have a very strong case for election. He's going to get in on the first ballot. Watt's last name and presence on a high-profile defense won't hurt. The left tackle has seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods before turning 30. The 2010 No. The only eligible player with that sort of rsum who hasn't made it to Canton is Webb, and while Webb was also a left tackle, he didn't make a single Pro Bowl after turning 30. Pro Football Reference Hall of Fame Monitor, Frequently Asked Questions about the NFL and Football, Pro-Football-Reference.com Blog and Articles, Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREE. These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. Kiper's draft grades for every team I'll start with the two young players. He is right on the borderline between the "Work to do" and "In the running" tiers. But as a running back who has been above average or good seemingly forever, he's getting in. Mike Evans is on pace to be a Hall of Fame caliber wide receiver. AP Photo/Harold Filan. After all, offensive tackle Joe Thomas was elected Thursday on the first ballot despite never playing a playoff game in 11 seasons with the Browns, who were more often than not the NFLs standard for team ineptitude. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. As long as Willis gets in, Wagner could retire tomorrow and follow his former rival right through the front door. I believe Evans will be in the NFL Hall of Fame someday, and in this piece I hit on a few of the reasons for my position. Draft a league now and start fresh with a 0-0 record and a shortened schedule. Sanders started 16 regular season games at cornerback and another eight at wide receiver - becoming the first two-way starter in the NFL since the Philadelphia Eagles Chuck Bednarik, who retired in 1962. If that seems surprising after what he accomplished last season, remember that it was his first season with either a Pro Bowl or an All-Pro nod. I addressed this in my MVP column in July. Marriott has since been ordered by a judge to release footage of Irvin and the woman's altercation and the name of the . Regardless of age, Evans has had an impressive start to his career. Leonard, with one All-Pro spot and a Pro Bowl appearance last year, is right behind. Bell's case as a scheme- and personnel-transcendent back fell apart in an ugly 2019 season, with the former Steelers playmaker averaging just 3.2 yards per carry. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. That wide receiver is Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson. Hightower has made huge plays in two Super Bowls, having stuffed Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line and strip-sacked Matt Ryan, but he has rarely gotten the regular-season attention he deserves. Inductees Nominees Induction Weekend Induction Process Landmark Award Squier-Hall Award Blue Jacket & Class Ring. NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF That means Robinson (who is coming off . Ingram wasn't very good for extended stretches of time until his fourth season in the league in New Orleans, and while he has made three Pro Bowls since, he hasn't had a top-five season in terms of production or won a Super Bowl. Wilson is somewhere in the 90% range. Witten is also the only Hall of Fame candidate on the Raiders' roster. Instead, legendary players and coaches like Troy Polamalu and Jimmy Johnson will wait until next year to give their speeches in Canton, Ohio. In one of Coach Saban's press conferences, he spoke about some of the questions asked by the players to . Jimmy Smith's peak was among the best ever. With Anthony Harris hoovering up interceptions and Jamal Adams and Minkah Fitzpatrick emerging, 31-year-old Smith probably needs to earn that nod in the next year or two. There are four notable first-time eligibles on this ballot: running back Adrian Peterson, tight end Rob Gronkowski, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown. Gates numbers compare very favorably with those of the nine tight ends in the Hall. It's tough to rack up interceptions in the modern NFL, but Peters has 27 since entering the league, nine more than any other player. Erica Farber and Bill Siemering, prominent figures in U.S. commercial radio and public radio, respectively, are among eight new members of the Radio Hall of Fame. 1 with seven receiving touchdowns as well as 1,407 air yards and yards after the catch combined (perAirYards.com). Prescott has made two Pro Bowls over his first four seasons, but his best rsum point is winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. Author: Nate Greer. I mentioned the math for quarterbacks in the Bengals section; in Garrett's case, four of 26 non-QBs taken with the first overall pick since the merger have made it to the Hall. It's an extremely small sample, and Collins is another example of a player who had an early All-Pro appearance before taking a step backward, but Adams projects as a superstar. If you were asked to name off the top of your head the three best NFL receivers to enter the league at 21, you might say Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins. Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon both expect Frank Gore to get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but do not see him as a lock to get into Canton. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 1st at: www.radiohalloffame.com. Kittle is the best all-around tight end in football right now, and if you could tell me this minute that he would have a 12-year career, I'd expect him to be a Hall of Famer. One more Pro Bowl would probably do the trick. He was on the All-2000s team, a three-time first team All-Pro and made eight Pro Bowls. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first six seasons, adding four first-team All-Pro appearances. I'm right there in the 50/50 range. 1. Sherman has a strong case as the best cornerback of the decade and was an essential piece of what was likely the best defense of the decade. Elliott has already won two rushing titles across his first four seasons, and that might be enough on its own. While injuries have cost Watt 32 games over the past four seasons, his unprecedented four-season peak from 2012 to 2015 locked up things. In fact, a future Hall of Fame wide receiver recently revealed that Rodgers tried to recruit him over to the Packers. One more nomination should get Smith in. Assessing Browns' FA needs. Evans and Godwin might end up hurting each other's chances by preventing the other from getting a 185-target season like the one Michael Thomas enjoyed in 2019. Casey has made five consecutive Pro Bowls, but the Titans were willing to cut him this offseason before trading him for a seventh-round pick, which also seems telling about where they saw his future. He led that sports section to three Associated Press Sports Editors top-10 national awards and his work has been honored by APSE and the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. That's just about a magic formula for getting into the Hall. The Museum of Broadcast Communications also named its first 33 "Legends" inductees, one for each year of the hall's .