Wilson hasn't missed a game as a pro, so as long as he plays another five or six seasons and continues to rank among the better quarterbacks in football, he should be fine. I had Wagner as a lock when I first compiled this list. Gates, a former college basketball player, had one of the greatest careers for an undrafted player, logging 16 seasons with the Chargers. Meanwhile on offense, receiver Allen Robinson's three-year, $46.5 million contract (signed last spring) comes with $15.2 million guaranteed in 2023. While James is closer to the 69% end of the spectrum here, Bosa's more toward 40%. Peters might look better in the long term than he does now. Brown was arguably the NFLs best receiver from 2013-18 in Pittsburgh, but wasnt the same player after he left the Steelers. The Cal product has five Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro appearance through his age-30 season. He also came up with an interception while winning his first Super Bowl, which helps his case. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Andrew Thomas. Garrett has played at a much higher level than Mayfield, but the $125 million man has missed 11 of 48 games thanks to various injuries and his season-ending suspension in 2019. 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. 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. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Baker Mayfield, DE Myles Garrett. Henry plays a Hall-friendly position and just won a rushing title. Green. Likely (60% to 99%): RB Frank Gore. After being retired for five years, players maintain modern-era eligibility for 20 years, after which their cases go to the seniors committee. If Kelce can earn that nod in 2020, that might be enough to get him in. Allen was named a Pro Bowler after racking up 10.5 sacks as a rookie. Try selecting a different location. Kuechly played just eight seasons with the Panthers from 2012-19, but they were very good ones, with five first team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowls and a spot on the All-2010s team. Grading the Jamal Adams trade Kiper's draft grades for every team Guy got some help because the Raiders drafted him with their first-round pick, while Hekker gets extra attention because of his propensity for fakes. Jimmy Smith's peak was among the best ever. While Tucker would be the overwhelming choice as the best kicker in football, the Hall has elected just two full-time kickers in its history. Lewan has three Pro Bowls. Bakhtiari, likewise, is blocked by Tyron Smith. Astros great Craig Biggio had to wait until his third time on the ballot to be voted to the Baseball Hall of Fame, and fell an agonizing two votes shy the previous year. Membership Foundation Corporate Partners Artifact Donations Commemorative Brick . The list of players who have done that isn't long, as it consists of Lawrence Taylor, Barry Sanders, Emmitt Smith, Patrick Willis, Aaron Donald and Martin. Work to do (10% to 39%): S Tyrann Mathieu. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Gore is the football equivalent of somebody like MLB outfielder Jim Rice as a compiler who plays a position the electorate loves. (You might remember Mitchell Trubisky in the Pro Bowl in 2018.) I'm right there in the 50/50 range. Goff took a major step backward in 2019 and doesn't appear to be on the same level as the other top quarterbacks in the conference. 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. At the same time, Green has missed 23 games over the past two years with injuries. Hall of Fame Wide Receivers. As I mentioned with Prescott, Barkley's Offensive Rookie of the Year nod gets him in this category alone. A score of 100 is around the average modern-era inductee. And thanks to coach Kelvin Sampson and the assistants he Solomon: DeMeco Ryans the right coach at the right time, 3 pressing questions facing new Astros GM Dana Brown, Jabari Smith Jr. growing up in NBA with an assist from his father, Poor parent behavior is driving high school sports refs away. Lock (100%): QB Aaron Rodgers. Most importantly: This is my opinion of who is likely to get in given current rsums, not who belongs in. (Justin Simmons, who was one of the NFL's best safeties a year ago, is still waiting for his first Pro Bowl appearance.). He's an easy Hall of Famer. Okudah's presence owes to his draft status as the No. Orlovsky sounds off on Wentz not making top 100 list. He ranks seventh all-time in receiving touchdowns (116), 30th in yards (11,841) and 17th in receptions (955). Edelman has never made a Pro Bowl, but the only player with more receiving yards in the playoffs is Jerry Rice. 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. 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. The Ring of Honor recognizes Vikings legends for their contributions to the success of the team on and off the field. Players with that sort of injury history early in their careers typically don't have the sort of lengthy peak needed to become a Hall of Famer. Even if he slows down from here on out, Miller's going to the Hall. As it stands, though, Gurley doesn't have enough on his rsum to get in. To contrast with a Hall of Famer, Derrick Brooks had six Pro Bowls and three All-Pro appearances by this point. In his other two seasons, he racked up a combined 23 sacks and made a pair of Pro Bowls. The star inside linebacker made his first Pro Bowl last season, which is incredible given that it was his age-21 season. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? At the same time, no tight end in history has more than four 1,000-yard seasons over their respective careers, and Kelce has just run off four consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. 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. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Joe Burrow. Jalen and Reggie Wayne connected while he was in college, and his uncle has helped him every step of the way since. The superstar edge rusher has made the Pro Bowl every year except 2013, when he was suspended before going down with a torn ACL. Only Chandler Jones and Aaron Donald have more sacks since the start of 2017. Houston probably had the best shot of these four earlier in his career, given that he made four consecutive Pro Bowls and led the league with 22 sacks in 2014, but he hasn't been dominant since dealing with a knee injury between 2015 and 2016. Stafford posted gaudy numbers earlier in his career when the Lions had him lead the league in attempts, but he has made it to one Pro Bowl and hasn't won a playoff game in 11 seasons. The closest comp is Ken Anderson, who had a similar peak and won an MVP award but didn't last quite as long and hasn't been able to get in. That wide receiver is Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson. Smith-Schuster had a down 2019 season amid injuries and terrible quarterback play; he should bounce back to his 1,426-yard form from 2018. There are another 11 players who aren't yet Hall-eligible, and five of them are locks to do the same. Heres the top 10 in NFL and AFL history in receiving yardage through 85 games. 4 overall pick will start his career at left tackle after Nate Solder opted out of this season. The guy who hasn't played a single NFL snap? In both cases, I'm looking mostly at the historical output for first overall picks. 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. The 2010 No. Not all elite prospects turn into Hall-of-Famers, but given Evans draft capital, physical profile and college production, its reasonable to say that what hes done in the NFL hasnt been a random fluke. Locks have a 100% chance of making it. Rivers is probably the most difficult case to parse among veteran players. If his career lasts only six or seven seasons, though, he'll have to be a perennial All-Pro to make it to Canton. He needs only three more years to get to 60,000 passing yards, and if that gets Philip Rivers in, Ryan shouldn't have much trouble. NFL Nation: Analysis for every pick Eagles fans will be furious, but the reality is that Wentz has made one Pro Bowl and hasn't won a playoff game or led the league in a major statistical category (outside of fumbles) during his first four seasons. Lock (100%): DE J.J. Watt. Where does Evans slot in? Larry Fitzgerald Says Aaron Rodgers Should Play for the Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) hands off. Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and spent 18 seasons as Pittsburghs starter. Barr made four consecutive Pro Bowls from 2015 to 2018, but it'll be tough for him to get the first-team All-Pro votes he'll need for Canton without racking up significant sack totals. Graham's case is interesting. So this is really a list of 15. No promotions available. SEA | TB | TEN | WSH. After five consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns, I wonder whether Landry actually has a better shot of surpassing his friend and longtime teammate. 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. As long as Willis gets in, Wagner could retire tomorrow and follow his former rival right through the front door. The NFL's 2023 Hall of Fame Game will feature the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, the Hall announced Tuesday. While guys like Franco Harris and Champ Bailey managed to make it to the Hall with similar starts to their careers, standouts like Chris Hinton, Ricky Watters and Donovan McNabb have come up short without getting to that next level. He probably needs two more All-Pro seasons to finalize his case. The only exceptions are a pair of interior offensive linemen (Alan Faneca and Steve Wisniewski) and safety John Lynch. He's ahead of guys like Von Miller, Dwight Freeney, Terrell Suggs and Bruce Smith, and while he played more games than all but Suggs, the fact that he was a productive pass-rusher from the jump as a 21-year-old is a positive. This trio is. (1:43), Barnwell: Projecting future Hall of Famers for all 32 NFL teams, The future of the NFL combine: Is there really a chance it could end forever? As good as third-year receiver Chris Godwin has been for the Bucs this season, its hard to say that hes anything more than the Anquan Boldin to Evans Fitz. Hilton, DE Justin Houston, DT DeForest Buckner, CB Xavier Rhodes. He had a wasted 2019 season, as he went down with a high ankle sprain in Week 3 and averaged 3.2 yards per carry over his next seven games after returning, but 2020 should see Barkley return to form. We don't talk enough about Hunter, who only has two Pro Bowl nods over his first five seasons. The future of Tampa Bay's tight end room. Finish reading this entire article absolutely FREE in our app. He was a Pro Bowler in 2017 and has 37.5 sacks over his first four pro seasons, but he was overshadowed a bit by Campbell over that time frame. Not knowing anything else about Burrow beyond where and when he was drafted, his Hall of Fame chances before starting his career come in by that small sample around 20%. I'll start with the two young players. The two first-time eligible players who stand out on next years ballot are defensive end Julius Peppers and tight end Antonio Gates. Evans is on pace to join Randy Moss as the only other player in NFL history to open his career with six consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaigns. He was nearly a lock after making four Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro nods across his first five seasons, but injuries have cost Thomas 20 games over the subsequent four years. Kelce has been a first-team All-Pro three consecutive times, although he oddly didn't make the Pro Bowl in two of those campaigns. Both players are on a streak, and their chances depend on keeping that streak going. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. McCardell and Smith dubbed "Thunder . If pro football did what hockey used to and waive the waiting period for the likes of Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux, it could be argued Brady deserves the same treatment. 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. While Hunter's chances are probably somewhere in the 65% range, Smith is closer to the lower end of the spectrum in the 40% zone. Returning to form and earning a seventh Pro Bowl nod in his first season with the Ravens got Thomas back on track. Jones now has five consecutive seasons with at least 10 sacks. Suggs logged 139 sacks, good for eighth all-time. With the onset of COVID, the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year moved its annual board-of-selectors meeting from an in-person session the day before the Super Bowl to a virtual communication . Typically, there are between 45 and 50 Hall of Famers playing at any one time. Ngakoue has deserved more attention and might get it in a new locale if the Jaguars honor his request and trade the 25-year-old before the season begins. Hightower and McCourty have made only two Pro Bowls each, and while they'll get a bump for their Super Bowl rings, it's tough to imagine them getting in when guys like Richard Seymour, Tedy Bruschi and Mike Vrabel didn't make it from the first era of Pats Super Bowl winners. From 2000-2003, Randy Moss put up video game numbers: 376 receptions, 5,649 yards and 49 touchdowns. What do Johnsons future prospects look like? As he turns 30 in September, Gilmore probably needs at least two more seasons in which he has a credible case as the best cornerback in football -- or a really long peak. The Hall of Fame receiver responded with a $100 million defamation lawsuit. They both need multiple All-Pro seasons before they can rise up the ranks. Collins was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2016 and has three Pro Bowls across his first five seasons. Art Monk<br>1980-1995. 3 pick. While Pro Bowls and All-Pro awards are hardly gospel, they're the best measure we have of how league observers valued a particular player in his time. Only two full-time kickers Jan Stenerud and Morten Andersen are in the Hall of Fame, but it would be hard to see Vinatieri shut out given his accomplishments. Barnwell and friends discuss sports -- usually. It's possible to make the Hall of Fame as a lineman without an All-Pro appearance, but the only guy to do it since the merger is Jackie Slater. Unfortunately, Houston fans have had to wait through the years to see their stars get inducted. Six players have done that since the merger: Murray, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford, George Rogers, Billy Sims and Earl Campbell. Landry's hip surgery then looms as a problem; if he can get past it and keep this up, he profiles as a borderline Hall of Famer. The former Panthers quarterback has two other Pro Bowl nods besides that 2015 season, although he hasn't received a nomination since. So Johnson still has plenty of time for his credentials to be debated by the 49-person selection committee. He has been one of the five best players at the second-most lucrative position in football over the past five years, and the fact that he was traded for two first-round picks and then delivered a wildly successful season with all of that attention in 2018 helps him. His 2016 season was one of the most impressive years we've ever seen from a quarterback, as he dominated during the regular season and won league MVP. Moving to a higher-profile, more successful team will help Ramsey's chances of drawing national attention, although he wasn't close to Stephon Gilmore or Tre'Davious White a year ago. He made it to four Pro Bowls in his first five seasons with the Ravens, and while that's the sort of production we associate with Hall of Famers, he wasn't able to earn a first-team All-Pro nod over that stretch. Julio or Hopkins: Who's the better bet to lead in receiving? Leonard, with one All-Pro spot and a Pro Bowl appearance last year, is right behind. Exhibits Interactive Experiences Gear Shop Pit Stop Caf Accessibility Champ the Cheetah. Outside of that one year, though, he has three Pro Bowl nods, no first-team All-Pro spots and a 2-5 record in the postseason. Art Monk. He followed that by posting a passer rating of 135.3 in the playoffs, which was the second-best mark in league history for a quarterback with at least 75 attempts. In part, that has been driven by health; the only other wideout ranking in the top 100 for receiving yards who has played all 80 games over the past five seasons is Larry Fitzgerald. All but Gronkowski generated controversial off-field headlines, but the Hall voters only debate what is accomplished on the field. 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. Whether Johnson will be there to welcome Watt into the Hall of Fame will be interesting. The shrine in Canton, Ohio, is one that hasnt been easy to gain membership in through the years. Ten years after he retires, we're more likely to look at his two first-team All-Pro nods and forget those times he guessed wrong and gave up touchdowns with the Chiefs and Rams. All but. Byard was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 when he led the league with eight picks, but despite playing at an upper-echelon level over the ensuing two seasons, he hasn't received the same consideration. There are questions about Roethlisberger's character; he has twice been accused of sexual assault. Graham has five Pro Bowls to his name, but I don't think he has done enough to earn a gold jacket. If Murray breaks out in Year 2, he'll be on the fast track. 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. Only nine players have done that in league history; outside of Green, the only player of the bunch who isn't in the Hall of Fame or a lock to get in is offensive tackle Richmond Webb, who played a much less notable position. 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. 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. The 2021 Radio Hall of Fame inductees will be honored at the in-person 2021 Radio Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Thursday, October 28, 2021, at Chicago's Wintrust Grand Banking Hall. But history tells us that's a lot to ask. Five of the 40 defensive players chosen among the top three picks of the draft since 1970 who are eligible for the Hall are enshrined, a percentage that will rise as players like Julius Peppers and Von Miller eventually become eligible. Will OBJ defy his long-shot odds to lead NFL in receiving yards? Likely (70% to 99%): WR Michael Thomas. Aldon Smith, who was once the most promising young edge rusher in football, would need a miraculous comeback in his first season since 2015 to get back on the HOF radar. A candidate must get 80 percent of the vote to be elected. In the running (40% to 69%): S Eddie Jackson. We still have no idea how Thomas will perform, but if we look back through history, four of the 32 offensive linemen since 1970 who were drafted with a top-five pick have made it to the Hall of Fame. 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. He is right on the borderline between the "Work to do" and "In the running" tiers. What makes Evans production especially impressive is that he entered the league at such a young age. Through Week 9 of the 2019 season, Evans has played 85 career games. In related news, the Cowboys also have a running back likely bound for the Hall. The others are Moss, Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper. Gronk has five first-team All-Pro appearances. DT | LB | CB | Safety Texans great Andre Johnson fell short of election to the Hall of Fame again this year in his second time as a modern-era finalist. Or write about sports? He is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and Bowie High School in Austin. Hunter just needs more individual recognition to raise his chances. He has stayed healthy and productive, so that hasn't been the issue. Troy Aikman, John Elway and Roger Staubach won multiple Super Bowls. He doesn't need that sort of individual production to make it to the Hall of Fame, but the guys who made it in without a single first-team All-Pro appearance needed something else. Aaron Rodgers has had a lack of weapons on the Green Bay Packers All HOFm Positions: QBRBWRTEGTCDTDEILBOLBDBKP, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2:32PM. Regardless of age, Evans has had an impressive start to his career. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Saquon Barkley. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . In the running (40% to 69%): C Maurkice Pouncey, LB T.J. Watt. As a result, I would expect him to make it to the Hall someday. You could also make the argument that Murray should be up a level after being taken with the No. I'd like to see a bigger sample before I treat that rate as gospel, and players such as DeAngelo Hall and Everson Walls had long careers without making it to the Hall, but Lattimore is off to a promising start. He looked to be firmly on a Hall trajectory at that point, but over the ensuing five seasons, he has just one Pro Bowl appearance. First, its hard for young guys to adapt to the NFL. Both Bosa and Kittle could make this tier placement look stupid if they have big seasons in 2020. Likely (70% to 99%): QB Russell Wilson, LB Bobby Wagner. Hekker's case is interesting. Hester was a (great) returner, which typically doesn't inspire the same sort of fervor as other All-Pro nods, while Jackson actually started with three consecutive All-Pro nods before dropping off and retiring after nine years. Complicating things for Johnson is the logjam of candidates at his position. . If James gets back there this season, he might even be able to jump into the Likely category. 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. Copyright 2023 Action Network Inc, All Rights Reserved.Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | AdChoices. Beasley won a sack title. Work to do (10% to 39%): TE Jimmy Graham, CB Kyle Fuller. Witten is also the only Hall of Fame candidate on the Raiders' roster. He'll have a better shot once reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Three different Cowboys defenders make this list, and you could make a case for Jaylon Smith, too. Judging safeties on interceptions is stupid, but we haven't evolved beyond that point. If he can keep this level of play up for three more seasons, Jordan could get in. Seymour made it to seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams and hasn't made it to the Hall of Fame, but Thomas was more conspicuous at safety and was a key member of a legendary defense. Erica Farber. Jones should make up some of that difference in 2020, and after Fitzgerald retires, he should be able to challenge the Cardinals great for that second spot. He has two first-team All-Pro appearances over the past five years, but it's likely too little, too late. The one-time tight end has made nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro twice. On the latest episode of the Let's Go! Ten of those 12 are in the Hall -- Elliott and Adrian Peterson are the other two. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, CB Darius Slay. He isn't going to catch Jerry Rice, but he's just under 5,000 yards behind Larry Fitzgerald, who ranks second in career receiving yards. Ranking the top outlier contracts He claimed a sack title in 2017 and was half a sack behind Shaq Barrett a year ago. Can Baker Mayfield's game be fixed? Mathieu is a great player and just turned 28, so he still has plenty of time, but he probably needs four or five more Pro Bowl seasons or a DPOY victory to really get in the discussion. Just play along. Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, though, has a different team in mind for Rodgers.