Last season, Thomas became the second wide receiver to win Offensive Player of the Year. 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. A candidate must get 80 percent of the vote to be elected. Hill's game still relies on speed, so he could be more susceptible to a career shortened by injuries than most other candidates, but if he gets three more seasons with Mahomes, he's probably in. 1. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . 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? Gurley was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2018, but he wasn't able to clinch a rushing title and didn't look like his old self last season. Green. 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. When a group consists of you and Jerry Rice, you've done something right. Likely (70% to 99%): DT Geno Atkins. 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. He previously worked as the sports editor at the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. DT | LB | CB | Safety 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 . Most Approximate Value (AV) in a receiver's best sets of five and seven consecutive seasons, 1960-2019. But as a running back who has been above average or good seemingly forever, he's getting in. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. Cliff Branch and Herman Moore are two of the few exceptions, but their performance fell off significantly after their third All-Pro trip and never recovered to their prior level. 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. Bosa's case is trickier, in part because he missed four games in 2016 and nine games in 2018 with injuries. Since 1970, 55 players who are eligible for Canton have hit that 8+2 mark, and 52 of them earned enshrinement. Center Rodney Hudson deserves more attention, but he has been stuck behind Maurkice Pouncey in the AFC and has only three Pro Bowls to show across his seven years as a starter with the Chiefs and Raiders. You probably dont need me to tell you that in 2018 Moss became the most recent receiver to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. What makes Evans production especially impressive is that he entered the league at such a young age. 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. 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. He was selected No. So Johnson still has plenty of time for his credentials to be debated by the 49-person selection committee. The left tackle has seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods before turning 30. 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. 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. If Murray breaks out in Year 2, he'll be on the fast track. Of all the young receivers, Moss is the only one to accomplish more through the first five seasons of his career. 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. Hunter just needs more individual recognition to raise his chances. Baker was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and a two-time Pro Bowler, although his 2017 awards were for special-teams work, which isn't valued as highly by voters. Lock (100%): QB Ben Roethlisberger. Rockets great and championship coach Rudy Tomjanovich was only inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. 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. In my Week 10 WR/CB matchups piece, I highlight the upcoming matchup between Evans and Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and say that we might be seeing two Canton-bound players go at each other in a one-on-one heavyweight matchup.. On Saturday night, Eagles star Harold Carmichael and Rams star Isaac Bruce were inducted as part of a . Complicating things for Johnson is the logjam of candidates at his position. 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. Six of the seven men ahead of him are in the Hall, with the exception of Peppers. Disputed loan at center of Commanders probe, Picking the top bounce-back candidates for all 32 NFL teams, Football historians talk about the game in a previous pandemic, Ranking the NFL's top 25 prospects: Young players who could break out in 2020, last attempted something like this column in June 2016, 42.6% of voters thought Rivers was a Hall of Famer, honor his request and trade the 25-year-old, trading a first-rounder to the Bills in 2009. Julio Jones (2011-17): 8,076, two-time All-Pro, will be a Hall-of-Famer Jerry Rice (1985-89): 7,370, Hall-of-Famer, greatest receiver of all time Randy Moss (1998-2003): 7,258, Hall-of-Famer Torry Holt (1999-2004): 7,147, most yards through five years in NFL history Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Typically, there are between 45 and 50 Hall of Famers playing at any one time. The reason Jackson is in this section and Fuller is in the next group is that Jackson has made two Pro Bowls in three seasons while Fuller has two across six years. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Andrew Thomas. 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. Matthew Freedman poses and answers the burning question about Evans' future Hall of Fame chances. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): WR A.J. Nelson doesn't play a high-profile position, but he's off to a great start. You could make a case Jones belongs in the Likely category based on his 2017 and 2019 seasons, although I'd argue there's a significant gap between those two campaigns and the rest of his career. 7 overall in the 2014 draft at the age of 20. In Week 9, he led the league with 180 yards receiving, and for the year, hes No. Skeptics will point out that Rivers was 5-6 in the postseason and only made it as far as one AFC Championship Game, but he's also sixth in NFL history in passing yards and passing touchdowns. All but. DeCastro has five consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and two All-Pro nods; if Faneca can't get in with nine consecutive Pro Bowl appearances and five All-Pro shots, DeCastro still has a lot of work to do. Podcast: Stat superlatives Likely (70% to 99%): RB Ezekiel Elliott, G Zack Martin, OT Tyron Smith. Both players are on a streak, and their chances depend on keeping that streak going. Jets, Browns tapped for 2023 NFL Hall of Fame Game 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. After missing the postseason for the first time in four years, the Green Bay Packers will now spend their offseason with one topic at the forefront of their internal conversations: the future of Aaron Rodgers. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. Even so, I think hell eventually get there. 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. 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. 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. 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. He has eight Pro Bowl appearances, but he has never been a first-team All-Pro, never really been a viable pick as the best quarterback in football and has a total of four MVP votes across 14 seasons as a starter. He deserves it. 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. 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. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. 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. Peters might not be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he should get in eventually. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Kyler Murray, S Budda Baker. In 1996, he decided to play football full-time. Aaron Rodgers Tried Recruiting a Future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver To NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF One more Pro Bowl would probably do the trick. . 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. 2 with 6,103 yards. Every two-time winner got in easily, so while Watt might not have the longevity he hoped for, the Houston icon could retire tomorrow and get in. 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. Lock (100%): QB Patrick Mahomes. (You might remember Mitchell Trubisky in the Pro Bowl in 2018.) March 25, 2020 9:36 pm ET. The guy who hasn't played a single NFL snap? After five consecutive Pro Bowl campaigns, I wonder whether Landry actually has a better shot of surpassing his friend and longtime teammate. I would put Gronkowski's chance somewhere around 99%. The Best Wide Receivers of All-Time - Future Football Legends Every NFL team's most likely future non-QB Hall of Fame inductee In the running (40% to 69%): C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox. There aren't any Dolphins who would appear to have greater than a 10% chance of making the Hall of Fame. That might bode well for Suggs case, especially with the premium placed on pass rushers in the modern NFL. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Matthew Stafford, CB Jeff Okudah. Mack is entering what is likely to be his final season with the Falcons. 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. 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. He's the second-most productive receiver in football history. 50 Greatest QB-WR Duos in NFL History - Bleacher Report Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Le'Veon Bell, LB C.J. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, G David DeCastro, DE Cameron Heyward, S Minkah Fitzpatrick. He should have a very strong case for election. When I last attempted something like this column in June 2016, I gave Beckham a 50% chance of making the Hall of Fame after two dominant seasons as a pro. Wagner also has a Super Bowl victory and, quite famously, an MVP vote from Tony Dungy on his rsum. Itll be interesting to see if that stellar stretch is good enough to get him in Canton. The Hall site draws a distinction, interestingly, between wide receivers and ends. You could also make the argument that Murray should be up a level after being taken with the No. I haven't included players who I believe have no more than a 10% chance of making it into the Hall. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? Collins retired with 70 touchdown receptions, sixth-best total in NFL history at the time and more than Hall of Fame receivers Lynn Swann, Art Monk, Bobby Mitchell, Michael Irvin and John Stallworth. While James is closer to the 69% end of the spectrum here, Bosa's more toward 40%. 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 . 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%. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE Yannick Ngakoue. Members of the Ring of Honor are recognized with a banner on the facade of the Metrodome's upper deck, forever living in Vikings lore. 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. The Best Damn Receiver Who Won't Make The Hall Of Fame 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. Hall of Famer predicts controversial team for Rodgers. Hall of Fame Wide Receivers. This was. 3 pick. Question, Comment, Feedback, or Correction? Quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are the two prominent ballot newcomers. All of these guys have something in their favor, but it isn't enough to propel them to meaningful consideration as of yet. Gordon made it to two Pro Bowls during his five seasons with the Chargers, but injury concerns and fumble woes make it tough to see a Hall of Fame ceiling for the 2015 first-rounder. If he can keep this level of play up for three more seasons, Jordan could get in. Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens are two of the greatest players to ever catch a football, ranking first and second, respectively, in receiving yards and receiving touchdowns in NFL history. Likely (70% to 99%): CB Richard Sherman. But lack of team success isnt a disqualifier. Kamara took a step backward last season when he ran into some touchdown regression, but he still did enough to earn his third Pro Bowl appearance in three years. Guy made only one Pro Bowl after turning 30, and Hekker probably needs a couple more All-Pro appearances to earn serious consideration. Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year, which hasn't been quite as big of a boon as you might think. Rodrigue: Rams' future in focus during NFL combine as trade, cap Marriott has since been ordered by a judge to release footage of Irvin and the woman's altercation and the name of the . Ten of those 12 are in the Hall -- Elliott and Adrian Peterson are the other two. In his final college season, he had a nice 69 receptions for 1,394 yards and 12 touchdowns in 13 games as a redshirt sophomore. Hekker got a two-season head start, but he has been a first-team All-Pro four times before turning 30 in February. Projecting future Hall of Famers for all 32 NFL teams - ESPN.com The only wide receiver from Carmichael's era who had more TD catches was Paul Warfield, who had 85. In the running (40% to 69%): QB Dak Prescott, WR Amari Cooper. Evans is just one of four NFL players ever to have 1,000 yards receiving as a 21-year-old rookie. Theyre easily first-ballot selections. Ranking the top outlier contracts Likely (70% to 99%): LB Khalil Mack. He has made five consecutive Pro Bowls and has three first-team All-Pro nods to go with his Defensive Player of the Year trophy from 2016. Browns star left tackle Joe Thomas and Jets greats Joe . The best trade Andy Reid ever made was moving up in the draft for Mahomes in 2017. Draft a league now and start fresh with a 0-0 record and a shortened schedule. Williams made seven consecutive Pro Bowls before sitting out the 2019 season and forcing a trade to the 49ers. 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. He figures to have a strong case for first-ballot 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. Fitzpatrick went from getting benched for the Dolphins in Week 1 to becoming a first-team All-Pro after his arrival in Pittsburgh; another year like 2019 will push him into Watt territory. This trio is. A Super Bowl victory would probably help. Archive: Every podcast from Barnwell . Lock (100%): QB Aaron Rodgers. The Ring of Honor recognizes Vikings legends for their contributions to the success of the team on and off the field. Art Monk. In the running (40% to 69%): S Eddie Jackson. 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. He made only two Pro Bowls with the Cardinals, which was a farce. Will the Dolphins get a veteran QB? Jordan's ascension from very good player to one of the best defensive ends in football over the past three years has helped drive his candidacy. 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. Locks have a 100% chance of making it. Art Monk<br>1980-1995. Six players have done that since the merger: Murray, Cam Newton, Sam Bradford, George Rogers, Billy Sims and Earl Campbell. The 2010 No. 4 overall pick will start his career at left tackle after Nate Solder opted out of this season. James Harrison was a backup for four seasons, started regularly for the first time at 29, and probably won't make the Hall of Fame despite a pretty spectacular peak. 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. I think the PED suspensions could help keep out players like Edelman and Lane Johnson, but it's tough to imagine Peterson not making it. 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. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, joining Lawrence Taylor as the only three-time winners of the award. Julio or Hopkins: Who's the better bet to lead in receiving? He shared a receivers room with four Hall-of-Famers and caught balls from a pair of Hall-of-Fame quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner while playing in eight post-season games . He'll have a better shot once reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. 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. He has been phenomenal while winning one Super Bowl, and came within an interception of winning a second, but he has also never been considered the best quarterback in football or garnered a single MVP vote. Likely (60% to 99%): RB Frank Gore. Gronk has five first-team All-Pro appearances. Buy Seahawks Tickets. 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. Given the ages of Gilmore and Patrick Peterson, Ramsey is neck-and-neck with White and Marshon Lattimore as the likely best cornerback in football over the next five years. It was a good weekend for wide receivers at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Author: Nate Greer. 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. Who are the wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Lewan has three Pro Bowls. Future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Gushes Over Giants' Kadarius Toney Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and spent 18 seasons as Pittsburghs starter.