Freedman: Mike Evans Will Be in the NFL Hall of Fame On Tuesday, future NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald spoke with the team. 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. 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. In his other two seasons, he racked up a combined 23 sacks and made a pair of Pro Bowls. But history tells us that's a lot to ask. 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. NFL Nation: Analysis for every pick Likely (70% to 99%): RB Ezekiel Elliott, G Zack Martin, OT Tyron Smith. 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. Naturally, now seems like a good time to look forward. Just nine tight ends are enshrined, and Kelce's game leans more toward receiving than any of them. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Kyler Murray, S Budda Baker. 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. Newton has an MVP award, which goes a long way toward pushing any player into the Hall of Fame. 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. But Thomas rsum with six first team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl trips helped overcome any shortcomings with team success. In the running (40% to 69%): DE Josh Allen. 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. As a result, I'll mention them often, especially when looking at players who don't touch the ball frequently. Draft a league now and start fresh with a 0-0 record and a shortened schedule. He is right on the borderline between the "Work to do" and "In the running" tiers. DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday, September 1st at: www.radiohalloffame.com. In the Super Bowl Era. Mahomes' rsum -- a league MVP and Super Bowl MVP -- is usually enough to get a player into the Hall of Fame, let alone doing it over two seasons as a starter. If you were asked to name off the top of your head the three best NFL receivers to enter the league at 21, you might say Moss, Larry Fitzgerald and DeAndre Hopkins. While Witten, 38, is years removed from his peak, he's going to finish his career with 11 Pro Bowl appearances and two first-team All-Pro nods. James was a first-team All-Pro as a rookie, and while he missed 11 games in 2019 with a foot injury, he should get back on track in 2020. 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 . 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. After being retired for five years, players maintain modern-era eligibility for 20 years, after which their cases go to the seniors committee. 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. Reggie Wayne, a Senior Bowl Hall of Famer, prepped Jalen Wayne for what to . Elliott has already won two rushing titles across his first four seasons, and that might be enough on its own. Both players are on a streak, and their chances depend on keeping that streak going. 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. He has stayed healthy and productive, so that hasn't been the issue. Likely (70% to 99%): LB Khalil Mack. 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. McShay's favorite pick for all 32 teams 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. 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. Rivers is probably the most difficult case to parse among veteran players. Even if he slows down from here on out, Miller's going to the Hall. 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. He's in line behind guys like Atkins unless the USC product continues to make Pro Bowls deep into his 30s. Use without license or authorization is expressly prohibited. 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. 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%. The former Panthers quarterback has two other Pro Bowl nods besides that 2015 season, although he hasn't received a nomination since. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. I had Wagner as a lock when I first compiled this list. Since the merger, 11 offensive linemen have been named a first-team All-Pro in four consecutive seasons, and nine of them are in the Hall of Fame. Like Hill, if Kelce gets three more seasons with Mahomes, I think he's a Hall of Famer. 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. What do Johnsons future prospects look like? On Saturday night, Eagles star Harold Carmichael and Rams star Isaac Bruce were inducted as part of a . 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. 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. Lattimore has two Pro Bowl appearances in his first three seasons; if you throw out early-career players like Lattimore, Jalen Ramsey and Marcus Peters, eight of the 11 corners to pull that off since the merger are either in the Hall of Fame or going there. Radio Hall of Fame Announces 2021 Inductees - Radio World Larry Fitzgerald Says Aaron Rodgers Should Play for the Dallas Cowboys Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) hands off. Rams' best draft class featured two Hall of Fame wide receivers - Los He is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, joining Lawrence Taylor as the only three-time winners of the award. Bakhtiari, likewise, is blocked by Tyron Smith. The NFL's 53 Most Likely Future Hall of Fame Players If Murray breaks out in Year 2, he'll be on the fast track. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Carson Wentz, TE Zach Ertz, CB Darius Slay. Its not at all random that hes become a big-time NFL player. Hall of Fame Wide Receivers. 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. Future Hall of Fame Wide Receiver Gushes Over Giants' Kadarius Toney Making sense of Mahomes' deal The left tackle has seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro nods before turning 30. Action Network makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the information given or the outcome of any game or event. 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. Barnwell and friends discuss sports -- usually. 1 with seven receiving touchdowns as well as 1,407 air yards and yards after the catch combined (perAirYards.com). 50 Greatest QB-WR Duos in NFL History - Bleacher Report Lock (100%): QB Ben Roethlisberger. Vinatieri is arguably the greatest clutch kicker in NFL history, twice making last-second field goals to win Super Bowls and also making another famous kick in the Tuck Rule game that helped launch New Englands dynasty. He played 16 seasons, but never led the league in any notable statistical category other than interceptions. Heres the top 10 in NFL and AFL history in receiving yardage through 85 games. 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. If you need something more, Fitzgerald's 2008 playoff run is probably the best postseason from any receiver in league history. 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. Lock (100%): QB Drew Brees. 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. 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. He has now made three consecutive Pro Bowls, although his only first-team All-Pro nod came in 2017. Smith needs a similar sort of run over the next few years to have a shot. Hes too similar to other Hall-of-Famers and future Hall-of-Famers not to be taken seriously. It hasn't been for lack of trying on his part, though. In the running (40% to 69%): C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox. 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. Pictured: Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13). In the running (40% to 69%): RB Christian McCaffrey. Timing can matter for players, and it has been weird for Suh. Finish reading this entire article absolutely FREE in our app. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR Julian Edelman, LB Dont'a Hightower, S Devin McCourty. Martin, who also turns 30 during the season, might not even need another nod. 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. While injuries have cost Watt 32 games over the past four seasons, his unprecedented four-season peak from 2012 to 2015 locked up things. 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 has two first-team All-Pro appearances over the past five years, but it's likely too little, too late. Okudah's presence owes to his draft status as the No. 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. 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. McCardell and Smith dubbed "Thunder . As a result, I would expect him to make it to the Hall someday. . What makes Evans production especially impressive is that he entered the league at such a young age. The site navigation utilizes arrow, enter, escape, and space bar key commands. Cowboys Trade for Rodgers Means 'Ready-Made' Champ, Says Fitzgerald These NFL wide receivers do not count toward our list of 10 worthy Hall of Famers. If you think this is too early for the 2019 seventh overall pick, think again. White got his just due last season and was named a first-team All-Pro while tying for the league lead in interceptions (six). Browns, Jets to open 2023 NFL preseason in Hall of Fame Game Gore is third in career rushing yards, which owes much to the fact that he also ranks third in carries. Will the Dolphins get a veteran QB? 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. Mike Evans is on pace to be a Hall of Fame caliber wide receiver Rams' best draft class featured two Hall of Fame wide receivers - NFL Harold Carmichael finished his career with 590 receptions and 79 touchdowns. 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. Mosley's case, meanwhile, has stalled in New York. 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. 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. Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977 . Henry plays a Hall-friendly position and just won a rushing title. We present them here for purely educational purposes. 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. 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. Just six of 32 Hall-eligible winners made it to Canton, although that's going to rise in the years to come as the likes of Charles Woodson and Julius Peppers win enshrinement. I think Thomas is a prohibitive favorite to get in. The shrine in Canton, Ohio, is one that hasnt been easy to gain membership in through the years. Hes No. 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. What will define Eric Bieniemy's success? Donald clinched his gold jacket when he won his second Defensive Player of the Year award. 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. He just turned 26 in August. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. Meanwhile on offense, receiver Allen Robinson's three-year, $46.5 million contract (signed last spring) comes with $15.2 million guaranteed in 2023. It was a good weekend for wide receivers at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Partner with Us Back. This was. Some players draw more attention after getting traded or signing a big extension, and Buckner did both this offseason. Many of the modern-era players to whom hes statistically comparable played well into their 30s. 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. This trio is. Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is having himself a season. In the running (40% to 69%): QB Dak Prescott, WR Amari Cooper. Work to do (10% to 39%): TE George Kittle, DE Nick Bosa. These three Pats legends are more likely to land in the Hall of Very Good. 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 He joined the Chronicle in January 2015 as the online sports editor. He should have a very strong case for election. Rank'Em: Cowboys Now Have 20 Hall of Famers - Dallas Cowboys Running backs mean less than they have in the past, but Terrell Davis just made the Hall for what really amounted to a three-season stretch as the best running back in football. Pro Football Hall of Fame Hall of Fame Village. In one of Coach Saban's press conferences, he spoke about some of the questions asked by the players to . With Anthony Harris hoovering up interceptions and Jamal Adams and Minkah Fitzpatrick emerging, 31-year-old Smith probably needs to earn that nod in the next year or two. If he can follow in Patrick Mahomes' footsteps and win a Super Bowl this year, Jackson will have an impeccable rsum to start his career. On the latest episode of the Let's Go! 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. 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. As I mentioned with Prescott, Barkley's Offensive Rookie of the Year nod gets him in this category alone. 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. Likely (70% to 99%): CB Richard Sherman. 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. Over that five-year span, Landry ranks third in the NFL in catches and seventh in receiving yards. 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. JAX | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIA | MIN 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. The one-time tight end has made nine Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro twice. 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. Graham has five Pro Bowls to his name, but I don't think he has done enough to earn a gold jacket. Harold Carmichael and Isaac Bruce will enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August. 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. Early in a player's career, I'm also comfortable using draft status as an estimate of talent until they establish themselves as pros, which will lead to some very inexperienced players making this list. Regardless of age, Evans has had an impressive start to his career. 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. All rights reserved. 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 Panthers impressed by Derek Carr visit 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. Casey has made five consecutive Pro Bowls, but the Titans were willing to cut him this offseason before trading him for a seventh-round pick, which also seems telling about where they saw his future. He's an easy Hall of Famer. CLE | DAL | DEN | DET | GB | HOU | IND Tight ends have relatively short careers, which makes projecting their Hall chances exceedingly difficult. 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. He's going to get in on the first ballot. He has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first six seasons, adding four first-team All-Pro appearances. Lock (100%): DT Aaron Donald. He is a graduate of Southwest Texas State University and Bowie High School in Austin. 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. Peters might look better in the long term than he does now. The only exceptions are a pair of interior offensive linemen (Alan Faneca and Steve Wisniewski) and safety John Lynch. In a normal universe, we would be celebrating the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 right about now. 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. 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. A portion of ticket purchases is a tax-deductible charitable donation to the Museum . 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. The 2010 No. One more Pro Bowl would probably do the trick. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Andrew Thomas. Three different Cowboys defenders make this list, and you could make a case for Jaylon Smith, too. Campbell, who turns 34 next month, is probably going to miss out, which is a shame given how good he has been. Itll be interesting to see if that stellar stretch is good enough to get him in Canton. Football Insiders with Trey Wingo. In other words, instead of trying to project their chances by guessing what they'll do in the future, I'm looking at what they've done so far, comparing them to players at similar points in their careers, and seeing how often players with those sorts of careers made it into the Hall of Fame. Where does Evans slot in? 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. 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. 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%): OT Terron Armstead, OT Ryan Ramczyk. Leonard, with one All-Pro spot and a Pro Bowl appearance last year, is right behind. From 2000-2003, Randy Moss put up video game numbers: 376 receptions, 5,649 yards and 49 touchdowns. 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 . Gore is the football equivalent of somebody like MLB outfielder Jim Rice as a compiler who plays a position the electorate loves. Work to do (10% to 39%): QB Joe Burrow. All logos are the trademark & property of their owners and not Sports Reference LLC. 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. Cooper has made four Pro Bowls in his first five seasons. Collins was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in 2016 and has three Pro Bowls across his first five seasons. Let's run team-by-team and try to estimate each notable player's chances of making it to the Hall of Fame given his current rsum. Lock (100%): LB Von Miller. 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 first game of the 2023 NFL calendar is . So Johnson still has plenty of time for his credentials to be debated by the 49-person selection committee. 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. They both need multiple All-Pro seasons before they can rise up the ranks. He'll have a better shot once reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Typically, there are between 45 and 50 Hall of Famers playing at any one time. SEA | TB | TEN | WSH. At the same time, Green has missed 23 games over the past two years with injuries. Twelve of the 29 Hall-eligible players who have started their careers with three consecutive Pro Bowl nods have made it to Canton. That's three Hall of Famers, two locks, and Martin, who would be a lock if the Hall valued interior linemen. He figures to have a strong case for first-ballot election. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE Chase Young, S Landon Collins. 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.