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. 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. 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. As long as Willis gets in, Wagner could retire tomorrow and follow his former rival right through the front door. Unlike Gurley, McCaffrey didn't win Offensive Player of the Year or make a deep playoff run. Jets, Browns tapped for 2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game 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. 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. McCaffrey could turn into LaDainian Tomlinson, but what if he's more like Shaun Alexander, who won league MVP at his peak and never really got serious Hall of Fame consideration? Rodrigue: Rams' future in focus during NFL combine as trade, cap I'm right there in the 50/50 range. Nelson is one of seven players to start his career with two consecutive first-team All-Pro nods, a group that includes four Hall of Famers, Devin Hester and Keith Jackson. 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. But lack of team success isnt a disqualifier. He figures to have a strong case for first-ballot election. 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. 7 overall in the 2014 draft at the age of 20. Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is having himself a season. There aren't any Dolphins who would appear to have greater than a 10% chance of making the Hall of Fame. Most Approximate Value (AV) in a receiver's best sets of five and seven consecutive seasons, 1960-2019. Worthy Hall of Fame (HOF) NFL Wide Receivers: The shoo-ins Let's start by running through five obvious cases of overly-qualified receivers who have not yet been enshrined. Only Campbell is in the Hall of Fame. He's the second-most productive receiver in football history. 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. Tight ends have relatively short careers, which makes projecting their Hall chances exceedingly difficult. 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. If he can stay healthy, he's probably going to retire in the top 10 for career passing yardage, but will that really be enough to get him in without more individual awards or team success? Ryan's case is trickier. He was on the All-2000s team, a three-time first team All-Pro and made eight Pro Bowls. The Hall of Fame Game, like the rest of the preseason, has been canceled during the coronavirus pandemic. Hall of Famer predicts controversial team for Rodgers. Hilton, DE Justin Houston, DT DeForest Buckner, CB Xavier Rhodes. 10 Hall of Fame-Worthy NFL Wide Receivers (not named Julian Edelman) 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. Both are locks for election. 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. As I mentioned with Prescott, Barkley's Offensive Rookie of the Year nod gets him in this category alone. Aaron Rodgers Tried Recruiting a Future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver To Often, I'm making an educated guess as to what would get a player in by looking at which accomplishments and plaudits matter more to voters. 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. Although the Texans struggled through much of his career with the team, the franchise and fans always knew they could rely on him for stellar numbers. Jalen and Reggie Wayne connected while he was in college, and his uncle has helped him every step of the way since. Beasley won a sack title. Larry Fitzgerald Says Aaron Rodgers Should Play for the Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) hands off. Let's see whether we can get a sense of who those 50 are right now: Jump to a team: Gore isn't quite a lock because he has never been a first-team All-Pro or won a Super Bowl, and he has only one top-five finish in a rushing title race (third in 2006). Green. The one-time tight end has made nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro twice. Gilmore wasn't on track to become a Hall of Famer before he joined the Patriots, having made one Pro Bowl across his first five seasons in Buffalo, but he has made back-to-back first-team All-Pro teams and then won Defensive Player of the Year last season. Heyward reminds me a lot of Campbell; they're prototypical five-technique ends who upped their pass-rushing performance when given more opportunities to get after the quarterback. In recent years Seattle has gained somewhat of a reputation as being the last stop for future Hall of Fame wide receivers. 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. 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. What makes Evans production especially impressive is that he entered the league at such a young age. Jones now has five consecutive seasons with at least 10 sacks. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. 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. Evans was a big-time NFL prospect. The induction process, like so many things, is on hold. Pouncey fits that magic 8+2 formula I mentioned earlier with regard to Atkins, and at 31, he should still have a couple more Pro Bowls in him. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. Join our linker program. Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are the two prominent ballot newcomers. 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. If Murray breaks out in Year 2, he'll be on the fast track. He might not make it on the first ballot, but he should make it eventually. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 1st at: www.radiohalloffame.com. Collins was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2016 and has three Pro Bowls across his first five seasons. Lock (100%): QB Aaron Rodgers. Former Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, ex-Giants quarterback Eli Manning, ex-Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs and longtime Patriots/Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri are the notables on the 2025 ballot. Future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Gushes Over Giants' Kadarius Toney How Calvin Johnson compares to the Pro Football Hall of Fame WRs Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Le'Veon Bell, LB C.J. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. Erica Farber. He could roll off a string of these nods in the years to come. If James gets back there this season, he might even be able to jump into the Likely category. Longtime teammate Jeff Bagwell, meanwhile, had to wait until his seventh year on the ballot before gaining enshrinement to Cooperstown. Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame monitor ranks Edelman 110th among wide receivers, and that gives him credit for winning three Super Bowls. Both Bosa and Kittle could make this tier placement look stupid if they have big seasons in 2020. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, CB Darius Slay. These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. Jackson does an incredible job of avoiding hits and getting out of bounds, but there's naturally going to be questions about whether a quarterback can run the ball 10 times per game in the modern NFL and have a 15-year career as a starter. Three different Cowboys defenders make this list, and you could make a case for Jaylon Smith, too. I think Rivers probably gets in, but it might take a while. Locks have a 100% chance of making it. Jones is likely to top 13,000 receiving yards and earn his eighth Pro Bowl nod this season, which should be enough to seal things for the superstar wideout. 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. Larry Fitzgerald won't be suiting up for the Arizona Cardinals for the start of the season, but the future Hall of Fame wide receiver stopped just short Friday of announcing his retirement. Williams needs a couple of high-profile seasons as the best left tackle in football, which is tough with Tyron Smith around. How Antonio Brown is hurting his Hall of Fame future, and what the volatile wide receiver needs to do to fix it Brown's continued off-field distractions have cast doubt on when -- and if -- he . New Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters is excited about his new 2 with 6,103 yards. Lock (100%): DT Aaron Donald. The only thing likely to keep him out of Canton is an electorate that habitually underrates interior offensive linemen in favor of an endless stream of running backs. Some players draw more attention after getting traded or signing a big extension, and Buckner did both this offseason. 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. They both need multiple All-Pro seasons before they can rise up the ranks. Watt is off to a dominant start, having racked up 34.5 sacks over three seasons while earning two Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro berth last season. Likely (60% to 99%): RB Frank Gore. The former LSU corner was already a star on the field after his 2018 campaign, but getting that first nod is usually tougher than getting invited back. Who are the wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Nelson doesn't play a high-profile position, but he's off to a great start. 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. Art Monk. Unfortunately, Houston fans have had to wait through the years to see their stars get inducted. One more nomination should get Smith in. Likely (70% to 99%): TE Rob Gronkowski. Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2021 Inductees - Radio World Meanwhile on offense, receiver Allen Robinson's three-year, $46.5 million contract (signed last spring) comes with $15.2 million guaranteed in 2023. These three Pats legends are more likely to land in the Hall of Very Good. This was. Browns, Jets to open 2023 NFL preseason in Hall of Fame Game Likely (70% to 99%): OT Jason Peters. 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 Ozen High star and 14-year NBA vet has more on his mind than basketball, offering essays on life, his family and America. Allen was named a Pro Bowler after racking up 10.5 sacks as a rookie. Likely (70% to 99%): DT Geno Atkins. Mack is entering what is likely to be his final season with the Falcons. Do you have a sports website? Jaguars won't spend big, but here are five players they could target in free agency, 2023 NFL franchise tag tracker: Raiders tag Josh Jacobs, the NFL's rushing leader. The only wide receiver from Carmichael's era who had more TD catches was Paul Warfield, who had 85. 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. No promotions available. 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. Evans has a chance to continue making history in 2022. Membership Foundation Corporate Partners Artifact Donations Commemorative Brick . 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. Joe Fortenbaugh breaks down why Julio Jones is the safer bet over DeAndre Hopkins to lead the league in receiving yards. Bosa's case is trickier, in part because he missed four games in 2016 and nine games in 2018 with injuries. The three have career numbers that are comparable, and Holt and Wayne had the good fortune of playing with Hall of Fame quarterbacks (Kurt Warner and Peyton Manning) while winning Super Bowls. He has two first-team All-Pro appearances over the past five years, but it's likely too little, too late. On the latest episode of the Let's Go! 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. When: 1999-2004 These two probably had the greatest four-year stretch in NFL history. NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF Unless he really hangs on into his 40s, he'll finish as the second-most-productive tight end in history, behind Tony Gonzalez. Rams' best draft class featured two Hall of Fame wide receivers - Los Six players have done that since the merger: Murray, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford, George Rogers, Billy Sims and Earl Campbell. Football Insiders with Trey Wingo. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Todd Gurley. Quarterbacks like Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Steve McNair won league MVP without earning enshrinement. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Baker Mayfield, DE Myles Garrett. Adams hasn't been able to break through the Julio Joneses of the world to earn a first-team All-Pro spot, which is probably where he needs to get. The superstar edge rusher has made the Pro Bowl every year except 2013, when he was suspended before going down with a torn ACL. Harold Carmichael finished his career with 590 receptions and 79 touchdowns. 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. 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. I'll do a little bit of projecting here and there, given historical aging curves and what we know about each player's injury history, but this is almost entirely about what each player has done so far. 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. Marcedes Lewis has been in the NFL for a long time. He started his career with seven Pro Bowls in seven seasons, which is rarefied air. Future Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, though, has a different team in mind for Rodgers.