Since 1980, there have been 23 Modern-Era Wide Receivers honored by the Hall of Fame, with an average Legends Score of 29. you might say Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins. All rights reserved. Join our linker program. 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. The first game of the 2023 NFL calendar is . Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. 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. 3 pick. Six of the seven men ahead of him are in the Hall, with the exception of Peppers. In his other two seasons, he racked up a combined 23 sacks and made a pair of Pro Bowls. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Julian Edelman, LB Dont'a Hightower, S Devin McCourty. 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. We still have to see what happens with the former LSU star, but of the 24 quarterbacks drafted with the first overall pick since the merger, five are either Hall of Famers or extremely likely to be enshrined. All seven players who did that and who are eligible for the Hall are in, and the list of ineligible guys includes Hill, Patrick Willis, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Peterson, Zack Martin and Aaron Donald. The two first-time eligible players who stand out on next years ballot are defensive end Julius Peppers and tight end Antonio Gates. So this is really a list of 15. 1. 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. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Saquon Barkley. In the running (40% to 69%): DE Joey Bosa, S Derwin James. 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. Watson is one of the best quarterbacks in football, although he might struggle to earn first-team All-Pro nods when stuck in the same time frame as Mahomes. 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. 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. 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. Contemporaries Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne also made the finalists cut from 15 to 10 with Johnson, but likewise didnt gain election. 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. Peters might look better in the long term than he does now. 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. Elroy "Crazylegs" Hirsch, future Hall of Fame wide receiver, led the best draft class in Rams history in 1945. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): S Eddie Jackson. What will the Buffalo Bills do without defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier? In 1996, he decided to play football full-time. 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. Hes top-10 in passing yards and touchdowns, so hell get a gold jacket at some point, if not on the first ballot. 2 pick was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro during his five seasons in Detroit. In the running (40% to 69%): WR A.J. His time may come, but maybe not for a while. Most importantly: This is my opinion of who is likely to get in given current rsums, not who belongs in. 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. Grading the Jamal Adams trade Lock (100%): DE J.J. Watt. Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Le'Veon Bell, LB C.J. Peterson, fifth all-time in rushing yards (14,918), is a good bet for election on the first ballot. 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. Watt, with his three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Texans, will for sure give Houston another Hall of Famer. Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Mark Ingram, OT Ronnie Stanley, DE Calais Campbell. Edelman has never made a Pro Bowl, but the only player with more receiving yards in the playoffs is Jerry Rice. Bakhtiari, likewise, is blocked by Tyron Smith. Of the 16 Hall-eligible first-rounders who were first-team All-Pros as rookies, nine are enshrined. To use an example, I don't think Eli Manning has the rsum of a Hall of Fame quarterback, but history tells us that most quarterbacks who win two Super Bowls typically get in. Below them are the players who are In the running (between 40% and 69%), and then the players who have Work to do to get on the Hall of Fame radar, who come in between 10% and 39%. I'll start with the two young players. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): QB Deshaun Watson. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR JuJu Smith-Schuster, G David DeCastro, DE Cameron Heyward, S Minkah Fitzpatrick. 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 NFL's 2023 Hall of Fame Game will feature the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets, the Hall announced Tuesday. 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. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . I think he'll end up getting in because he has simply racked up numbers year after year without missing much time, although I could also see an argument that he hasn't done enough outside of that one brilliant year. You can't make the Hall of Fame while you're still in pads, but Mike Evans has been making his case over the past six seasons. Unfortunately, Houston fans have had to wait through the years to see their stars get inducted. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE DeMarcus Lawrence, DT Gerald McCoy, LB Leighton Vander Esch. Our reasoning for presenting offensive logos. Its rattlesnake season in Texas. Giants fans would be happy if Thomas solidified a position that has been a mess since Will Beatty tore his pec in 2015. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, CB Darius Slay. Can Baker Mayfield's game be fixed? Mosley's case, meanwhile, has stalled in New York. Guy made only one Pro Bowl after turning 30, and Hekker probably needs a couple more All-Pro appearances to earn serious consideration. 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. Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch, future Hall of Fame wide receiver, led the best draft class in Rams history in 1945. He ranks seventh all-time in receiving touchdowns (116), 30th in yards (11,841) and 17th in receptions (955). The one-time tight end has made nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro twice. White got his just due last season and was named a first-team All-Pro while tying for the league lead in interceptions (six). Brees could have retired five years ago and comfortably made the Hall of Fame. 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. He has made four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2012, but there are just too many offensive linemen with more impressive rsums who have struggled to get in for Brown to have much of a chance. That wide receiver is Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. It hasn't been for lack of trying on his part, though. 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. 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. 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. There could still be a season in which Mike Zimmer needs to use Barr as an edge rusher and he ends up with 10 sacks, but that's not going to be enough. 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. Likely (70% to 99%): CB Richard Sherman. But history tells us that's a lot to ask. 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. 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. Roy Williams is the lone Hall-eligible safety who didn't follow his early success to Canton. NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | PIT | SF 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. 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. Also, if a guy enters the league at a young age, he could theoretically have a longer NFL career, which would give him more time in the second half (or post-peak portion) of his career to put up the accumulation stats often needed to bolster a Hall-of-Fame case. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 1st at: www.radiohalloffame.com. 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. Winning an MVP in Year 2 obviously leaps Jackson into consideration on its own, but it doesn't seal it. Wilson is somewhere in the 90% range. Tom Fears, WR, UCLA, 11th round, 103rd overall: Ranking the top outlier contracts Julio or Hopkins: Who's the better bet to lead in receiving? In the running (40% to 69%): CB Jalen Ramsey. Marcedes Lewis has been in the NFL for a long time. In Week 9, he led the league with 180 yards receiving, and for the year, hes No. Kelce is difficult to judge because tight ends aren't well represented in the Hall. 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. Football Insiders with Trey Wingo. Subscribe to Stathead Football: Get your first month FREEYour All-Access Ticket to the Pro Football Reference Database. Work to do (10% to 39%): C Alex Mack, DT Grady Jarrett. In the running (40% to 69%): CB Tre'Davious White. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. 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. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Melvin Gordon, DE Jurrell Casey. He's in line behind guys like Atkins unless the USC product continues to make Pro Bowls deep into his 30s. Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame monitor ranks Edelman 110th among wide receivers, and that gives him credit for winning three Super Bowls. Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and spent 18 seasons as Pittsburghs starter. 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%. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. Quarterbacks like Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Steve McNair won league MVP without earning enshrinement. All 259 picks | Every team's class He is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and Bowie High School in Austin. Vander Esch's chances are stronger than his fellow linebacker because he was a first-round pick and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie, while Smith was a second-round pick and didn't make it until his third campaign. Even if he slows down from here on out, Miller's going to the Hall. Regardless of age, Evans has had an impressive start to his career. Reggie Wayne, a Senior Bowl Hall of Famer, prepped Jalen Wayne for what to . As long as Willis gets in, Wagner could retire tomorrow and follow his former rival right through the front door. 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. 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. A big individual season and a few MVP votes in 2020 would be enough to push him into the next category. Author: Nate Greer. 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. Just play along. The Bucs already have the best receiver duo in the NFL in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, and the addition of a player like Brown in his prime would make this unit completely unfair. 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. Likely (60% to 99%): RB Frank Gore. Gronkowski dominated at his position, played a key role on four Super Bowl winners, was on the all-2010s team and a first time All-Pro on four occasions. Timing can matter for players, and it has been weird for Suh. 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. 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. Brown was arguably the NFLs best receiver from 2013-18 in Pittsburgh, but wasnt the same player after he left the Steelers. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Adam Thielen, LB Anthony Barr. Likely (70% to 99%): QB Matt Ryan, WR Julio Jones. Naturally, now seems like a good time to look forward. Since there have been only 346 people elected to the Hall of Fame (some of whom aren't even players), we don't always have great measures or estimates for what players at each given position have to do to make it. Where does Evans slot in? Wentz's injury history this early in his career also doesn't bode well for his chances of playing deep into his 30s. Wagner also has a Super Bowl victory and, quite famously, an MVP vote from Tony Dungy on his rsum. Lock (100%): WR Larry Fitzgerald. Buckner made the Pro Bowl in 2018, but he was otherwise underappreciated during his four seasons in the Bay Area. 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. 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. 260 players who could win MVP Around the NFL Writer. After being retired for five years, players maintain modern-era eligibility for 20 years, after which their cases go to the seniors committee. Theyre easily first-ballot selections. He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, joining Lawrence Taylor as the only three-time winners of the award. He has three first-team All-Pro nods and a Super Bowl MVP before turning 31. The second-best trade in Reid's history might have been trading a first-rounder to the Bills in 2009 for Peters, who has held down left tackle for 10 of the past 11 seasons in Philadelphia and will return to play guard in 2020. (You might remember Mitchell Trubisky in the Pro Bowl in 2018.) Evans is just one of four NFL players ever to have 1,000 yards receiving as a 21-year-old rookie. . Wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals Larry Fitzgerald's career stats: 1,432 receptions for 17,492 yards and 121 touchdowns One of the greatest wide receivers of all time, and certainly among the most dominant of his era, Fitzgerald will likely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer sometime around 2026. One more Pro Bowl would probably do the trick. 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. We're in a pass-happy era, but Thomas has more receptions (470) and receiving yards (5,512) than any other players in league history through their first four seasons. There are another 11 players who aren't yet Hall-eligible, and five of them are locks to do the same. March 25, 2020 9:36 pm ET. And as much as everyone loves Boldin, he was never dominant enough to keep his former teammate out of Canton. He just turned 26 in August. 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. Try selecting a different location. Likely (70% to 99%): DT Geno Atkins. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE Yannick Ngakoue. 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.