future hall of fame wide receivers

Just play along. Work to do (10% to 39%): TE Jimmy Graham, CB Kyle Fuller. 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. Like Campbell, Heyward didn't earn widespread notoriety until he was approaching 30, with the Steelers star becoming a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the first time in his seventh season. 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. Once again, its wait til next year for Texans great Andre Johnson when it comes to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Finish reading this entire article absolutely FREE in our app. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Saquon Barkley. 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. 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? 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. Since 1980, there have been 23 Modern-Era Wide Receivers honored by the Hall of Fame, with an average Legends Score of 29. In the running (40% to 69%): QB Lamar Jackson, CB Marcus Peters, K Justin Tucker. Sensing that many people might disagree with me, I decided to post a poll on Twitter. As it stands, though, Gurley doesn't have enough on his rsum to get in. 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. 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. Watt's last name and presence on a high-profile defense won't hurt. 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. I think Thomas is a prohibitive favorite to get in. A healthy, available Garrett is a Defensive Player of the Year candidate and could rise quickly. 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. Kelce is difficult to judge because tight ends aren't well represented in the Hall. 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. He claimed a sack title in 2017 and was half a sack behind Shaq Barrett a year ago. Players the Jaguars could target Hes No. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Kyler Murray, S Budda Baker. Six of the seven men ahead of him are in the Hall, with the exception of Peppers. From 2015 to 2019, his numbers are virtually identical to those of Eric Ebron. 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. 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. Troy Aikman, John Elway and Roger Staubach won multiple Super Bowls. The only thing Pouncey is missing is a Super Bowl appearance. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 1st at: www.radiohalloffame.com. 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. In Week 9, he led the league with 180 yards receiving, and for the year, hes No. Will the Dolphins get a veteran QB? He just turned 26 in August. 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. The two first-time eligible players who stand out on next years ballot are defensive end Julius Peppers and tight end Antonio Gates. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Julian Edelman, LB Dont'a Hightower, S Devin McCourty. 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. Peterson, fifth all-time in rushing yards (14,918), is a good bet for election on the first ballot. ln the running (40% to 69%): RB Alvin Kamara, DE Cameron Jordan, CB Marshon Lattimore. Unless he turns things around dramatically this season, he would fall out of the "Work to do" category altogether. Lock (100%): TE Jason Witten. The best trade Andy Reid ever made was moving up in the draft for Mahomes in 2017. He might not make it on the first ballot, but he should make it eventually. 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. 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. Logos were compiled by the amazing SportsLogos.net. The Cowboys are blessed with two linemen bound for Canton. If you think this is too early for the 2019 seventh overall pick, think again. 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. Try selecting a different location. I think his five-year peak with the Seahawks probably would have been enough to get him in, but earning a sixth Pro Bowl trip with the 49ers last season only helped his chances. 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. 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. Hes top-10 in passing yards and touchdowns, so hell get a gold jacket at some point, if not on the first ballot. Last season was the first time Peterson missed an NFL game or failed to make the Pro Bowl, with both owing to his six-game PED suspension. Contemporaries Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne also made the finalists cut from 15 to 10 with Johnson, but likewise didnt gain election. From 2000-2003, Randy Moss put up video game numbers: 376 receptions, 5,649 yards and 49 touchdowns. Watt, with his three Defensive Player of the Year awards with the Texans, will for sure give Houston another Hall of Famer. 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. Itll be interesting to see if that stellar stretch is good enough to get him in Canton. The others are Moss, Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper. Joe Fortenbaugh breaks down why Julio Jones is the safer bet over DeAndre Hopkins to lead the league in receiving yards. 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. Jeremy Fowler polled a panel of more than 50 coaches, execs, scouts and players to come up with top-10 rankings for 2020: QB | RB | TE | WR | OT The Cal product has five Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro appearance through his age-30 season. Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Terron Armstead, OT Ryan Ramczyk. The guy who hasn't played a single NFL snap? So this is really a list of 15. 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. Most importantly: This is my opinion of who is likely to get in given current rsums, not who belongs in. Podcast: Stat superlatives 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. Lock (100%): QB Patrick Mahomes. Smith needs a similar sort of run over the next few years to have a shot. 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. 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. Here's everything we know, Richardson sets QB mark for vertical, broad jump, QB Young 5-10 1/8, 204 pounds at NFL combine, Sources: Patriots tell QB Hoyer he's being cut, Horns' Robinson: Versatility worthy of early pick, Jones: Not fixated on Cowboys' drought, just '23, Sources: Raiders plan franchise tag for Jacobs, WR Addison to Steelers' Pickett: 'Come get me', Wolverines' Turner wows with 4.26 40 at combine, Everything you need to know about Geno Smith's contract negotiations. 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. Lock (100%): WR Larry Fitzgerald. Panthers impressed by Derek Carr visit Manning won two Super Bowls with the Giants, winning MVP both times. He figures to have a strong case for first-ballot election. Jimmy Smith's peak was among the best ever. I had Wagner as a lock when I first compiled this list. Where does Evans slot in? Over that five-year span, Landry ranks third in the NFL in catches and seventh in receiving yards. Partner with Us Back. As long as Willis gets in, Wagner could retire tomorrow and follow his former rival right through the front door. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE Chase Young, S Landon Collins. Likely (60% to 99%): RB Frank Gore. Likely (70% to 99%): WR Michael Thomas. Top-10 picks who make it to the Pro Bowl as rookies have a great track record. Will OBJ defy his long-shot odds to lead NFL in receiving yards? I think Patrick Willis is going to make it in after an eight-year career in which he racked up seven Pro Bowl appearances and five first-team All-Pro nods and retired as he turned 30. He has the third most sacks through his age-25 season of any player since the league made it an official stat in 1982, trailing only Derrick Thomas and J.J. Watt. 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. "Nuk" has been a first-team All-Pro in each of his past three seasons, which is the sort of run that earns skill-position players a trip to Canton on their own. Cooper has made four Pro Bowls in his first five seasons. Let's see whether we can get a sense of who those 50 are right now: Jump to a team: Newton has an MVP award, which goes a long way toward pushing any player into the Hall of Fame. Wentz's injury history this early in his career also doesn't bode well for his chances of playing deep into his 30s. Randy Moss. Round 1: Kiper | McShay | NFL Nation . 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. 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. All rights reserved. Most Approximate Value (AV) in a receiver's best sets of five and seven consecutive seasons, 1960-2019. 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. Membership Foundation Corporate Partners Artifact Donations Commemorative Brick . 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. In the running (40% to 69%): C Maurkice Pouncey, LB T.J. Watt. If Kelce can earn that nod in 2020, that might be enough to get him in. More on the Ring of Honor found on the team website. All of these guys have something in their favor, but it isn't enough to propel them to meaningful consideration as of yet. 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. Evans has a chance to continue making history in 2022. Even if he slows down from here on out, Miller's going to the Hall. 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%. Since 1970, 55 players who are eligible for Canton have hit that 8+2 mark, and 52 of them earned enshrinement. Allen was named a Pro Bowler after racking up 10.5 sacks as a rookie. He is right on the borderline between the "Work to do" and "In the running" tiers. For now, Tom Brady and J.J. Watt lead the list of this years retirees wholl be on the ballot in 2028. Get started >>. 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. Making sense of Mahomes' deal I'm right there in the 50/50 range. 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.. He played 16 seasons, but never led the league in any notable statistical category other than interceptions. 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. He's going to get in on the first ballot. Please see our Contributors and Sources page for data source details. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): C Alex Mack, DT Grady Jarrett. He was on the All-2000s team, a three-time first team All-Pro and made eight Pro Bowls. This site .css-110721q{color:#0079F0;}contains commercial content. At the same time, Green has missed 23 games over the past two years with injuries. We have tools and resources that can help you use sports data. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): DT Ndamukong Suh. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? Elliott has already won two rushing titles across his first four seasons, and that might be enough on its own. But as a running back who has been above average or good seemingly forever, he's getting in. 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. (You might remember Mitchell Trubisky in the Pro Bowl in 2018.) McShay's favorite pick for all 32 teams Tom Fears, WR, UCLA, 11th round, 103rd overall: Likely (70% to 99%): LB Khalil Mack. Rivers is probably the most difficult case to parse among veteran players. Quarterbacks like Ken Anderson, Boomer Esiason and Steve McNair won league MVP without earning enshrinement. Twelve of the 29 Hall-eligible players who have started their careers with three consecutive Pro Bowl nods have made it to Canton. 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. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. In the running (40% to 69%): CB Tre'Davious White. 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. Last season, Thomas became the second wide receiver to win Offensive Player of the Year. Suggs logged 139 sacks, good for eighth all-time. 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. Williams needs a couple of high-profile seasons as the best left tackle in football, which is tough with Tyron Smith around. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . No promotions available. The big deal he signed with the Jags and the subsequent 14.5-sack campaign he posted in leading them to the AFC Championship Game turned the tide, as Campbell was a first-team All-Pro and made three consecutive Pro Bowl trips with Jacksonville. Bosa's case is trickier, in part because he missed four games in 2016 and nine games in 2018 with injuries. Gore had the misfortune of playing for some bad San Francisco and Indianapolis teams, but his numbers are certainly impressive. One more Pro Bowl would probably do the trick. McCaffrey is still only 24 and has a relatively sterling health history, so it's on him to buck history. 8/16/2011. 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. A score of 100 is around the average modern-era inductee. Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch, future Hall of Fame wide receiver, led the best draft class in Rams history in 1945. Rodgers is a three-time All-Pro, a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team and so much more. Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame monitor ranks Edelman 110th among wide receivers, and that gives him credit for winning three Super Bowls. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): S Eddie Jackson. Ranking the top outlier contracts Just nine tight ends are enshrined, and Kelce's game leans more toward receiving than any of them. 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. If Brown has a Whitworth-esque autumn to his career, he has a shot. On Tuesday, future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald spoke with the team. One issue: Five of those six are running backs, with Randy Moss as the only exception. I addressed this in my MVP column in July. Hall of Fame Wide Receivers. Both players are on a streak, and their chances depend on keeping that streak going. 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. That might bode well for Suggs case, especially with the premium placed on pass rushers in the modern NFL. Brown was arguably the NFLs best receiver from 2013-18 in Pittsburgh, but wasnt the same player after he left the Steelers. Mack is entering what is likely to be his final season with the Falcons. The 2010 No. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Mike Evans, WR Chris Godwin, LB Lavonte David. There are questions about Roethlisberger's character; he has twice been accused of sexual assault. But lack of team success isnt a disqualifier. 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. Complicating things for Johnson is the logjam of candidates at his position. Pro Football Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Village. 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. Inductees Nominees Induction Weekend Induction Process Landmark Award Squier-Hall Award Blue Jacket & Class Ring. Exclusive: Abbott explains push against diversity hiring programs, Texas wants to ban delta-8, but veterans are pushing back, UH, Texas A&M removing DEI statements from hiring practices, The Breakfast Klub sues prominent City Hall consultant for fraud, Astros GM Dana Brown the antithesis of his predecessors, Houston is the most stressful city to work in, says new study, Lauren Daigle at Houston Rodeo: 'God always has your number', Galveston gets fourth Carnival Cruise Line, was not elected in his second time as a modern-era finalist, Houston-area boys basketball playoffs: Regional final scores, Texas Southern falls to rival Prairie View A&M in season finale, Washington advances to state basketball tournament, UT ends regular season on high note with win over Kansas, UH's basketball rivalry with Memphis could end as soon as Sunday. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR T.Y. Edelman has never made a Pro Bowl, but the only player with more receiving yards in the playoffs is Jerry Rice. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Adam Thielen, LB Anthony Barr. Its not at all random that hes become a big-time NFL player. Of the 27 Hall-eligible players who have pulled that off, 14 are enshrined. 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. Can Baker Mayfield's game be fixed? 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. He probably needs to keep that streak going for a couple more years or rack up another 15-sack campaign to move the needle to Likely. Is Gore a lock to get into the Hall of Fame? Unless he really hangs on into his 40s, he'll finish as the second-most-productive tight end in history, behind Tony Gonzalez. 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. 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. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? The Hall of Fame receiver responded with a $100 million defamation lawsuit.