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. Matthew Freedman poses and answers the burning question about Evans' future Hall of Fame chances. That's just about a magic formula for getting into the Hall. The superstar edge rusher has made the Pro Bowl every year except 2013, when he was suspended before going down with a torn ACL. He'll have a better shot once reunited with Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. He has now made three consecutive Pro Bowls, although his only first-team All-Pro nod came in 2017. Even if Hopkins takes a step backward without Deshaun Watson, he's probably just a couple of Pro Bowls from getting in. This trio is. 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%): RB Christian McCaffrey. 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. Podcast: Stat superlatives In Week 9, he led the league with 180 yards receiving, and for the year, hes No. 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. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): TE Jimmy Graham, CB Kyle Fuller. More NFL coverage . Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Derrick Henry, OT Taylor Lewan, DE Vic Beasley Jr., S Kevin Byard. Over that five-year span, Landry ranks third in the NFL in catches and seventh in receiving yards. Evans is just one of four NFL players ever to have 1,000 yards receiving as a 21-year-old rookie. 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. When a group consists of you and Jerry Rice, you've done something right. Elliott has already won two rushing titles across his first four seasons, and that might be enough on its own. If McCaffrey can piece together even two more seasons at his 2019 level and add two or three more like his 2018 campaign, that might be enough to make it to the Hall of Fame. More on the Ring of Honor found on the team website. Adams has two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro nod across his first three seasons, putting him in a group with safeties such as Kenny Easley, Steve Atwater, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. Tight ends have relatively short careers, which makes projecting their Hall chances exceedingly difficult. Unfortunately, Houston fans have had to wait through the years to see their stars get inducted. Bakhtiari, likewise, is blocked by Tyron Smith. So this is really a list of 15. Freedman: Mike Evans Will Be in the NFL Hall of Fame Martin, who also turns 30 during the season, might not even need another nod. Copyright 2000-2023 Sports Reference LLC. Wentz's injury history this early in his career also doesn't bode well for his chances of playing deep into his 30s. 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. Only Chandler Jones and Aaron Donald have more sacks since the start of 2017. Elliott should be a prohibitive favorite to get in. Rank'Em: Cowboys Now Have 20 Hall of Famers - Dallas Cowboys Brown was arguably the NFLs best receiver from 2013-18 in Pittsburgh, but wasnt the same player after he left the Steelers. Kiper's draft grades for every team Beasley won a sack title. I think Rivers probably gets in, but it might take a while. 4 overall pick will start his career at left tackle after Nate Solder opted out of this season. Elroy 'Crazylegs' Hirsch, future Hall of Fame wide receiver, led the best draft class in Rams history in 1945. 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. In the running (40% to 69%): RB Saquon Barkley. Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Mark Ingram, OT Ronnie Stanley, DE Calais Campbell. He just turned 26 in August. Interior OL | Edge As it stands, though, Gurley doesn't have enough on his rsum to get in. Just play along. Typically, there are between 45 and 50 Hall of Famers playing at any one time. 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. That wide receiver is Detroit Lions great Calvin Johnson. The NFL's 53 Most Likely Future Hall of Fame Players Graham has five Pro Bowls to his name, but I don't think he has done enough to earn a gold jacket. Ingram wasn't very good for extended stretches of time until his fourth season in the league in New Orleans, and while he has made three Pro Bowls since, he hasn't had a top-five season in terms of production or won a Super Bowl. 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. 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. 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. All but Gronkowski generated controversial off-field headlines, but the Hall voters only debate what is accomplished on the field. 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. Orlovsky sounds off on Wentz not making top 100 list. (You might remember Mitchell Trubisky in the Pro Bowl in 2018.) Should the Green Bay Packers Move On From Aaron Rodgers? In both cases, I'm looking mostly at the historical output for first overall picks. 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. 8/16/2011. 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. Lock (100%): TE Jason Witten. . Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports. Work to do (10% to 39%): RB Melvin Gordon, DE Jurrell Casey. Art Monk. Of all the young receivers, Moss is the only one to accomplish more through the first five seasons of his career. How Relationship With Reggie Wayne Is Helping South Alabama WR Jalen Lock (100%): QB Ben Roethlisberger. Gronk has five first-team All-Pro appearances. QB Anthony Richardson rejects 'project label' entering combine, Texans terminate center Justin Britt's contract, Bun B, Badu, J.J. Watt celebrate RodeoHouston Southern Takeover. OBJ hasn't made a Pro Bowl since 2016, and while this could be a bounce-back year for the former Giants star, another middling campaign would push him into the "Work to do" tier. 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. Henry plays a Hall-friendly position and just won a rushing title. 260 players who could win MVP He turned 32 on Friday, and while there could be more left in the tank, he probably needs another Pro Bowl season or two to ensure he makes it. Whitworth was criminally underrated during his time in Cincinnati, earning just one Pro Bowl nod during his first nine seasons with the Bengals. 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. I'll start with the two young players. He claimed a sack title in 2017 and was half a sack behind Shaq Barrett a year ago. Rams' best draft class featured two Hall of Fame wide receivers - Los DISCLAIMER: This site is 100% for entertainment purposes only and does not involve real money betting. 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. If you think this is too early for the 2019 seventh overall pick, think again. All HOFm Positions: QBRBWRTEGTCDTDEILBOLBDBKP, Every Sports Reference Social Media Account, Site Last Updated: Saturday, March 4, 2:32PM. 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. 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. 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. 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. The first game of the 2023 NFL calendar is . It hasn't been for lack of trying on his part, though. Work to do (10% to 39%): OT Terron Armstead, OT Ryan Ramczyk. 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. will Evans play and how productive will he be? In related news, the Cowboys also have a running back likely bound for the Hall. The only Hall-eligible players drafted since 1970 who have five of those and aren't in the Hall are Alan Faneca and Zach Thomas. Work to do (10% to 39%): DE DeMarcus Lawrence, DT Gerald McCoy, LB Leighton Vander Esch. Unless he really hangs on into his 40s, he'll finish as the second-most-productive tight end in history, behind Tony Gonzalez. NFL Nation: Analysis for every pick A candidate must get 80 percent of the vote to be elected. At the combine, he measured in at 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds and ran an impressive 4.53-second 40-yard dash. Of the 27 Hall-eligible players who have pulled that off, 14 are enshrined. 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. 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 Mosley. 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. Work to do (10% to 39%): WR T.Y. He joined the Chronicle in January 2015 as the online sports editor. He led that sports section to three Associated Press Sports Editors top-10 national awards and his work has been honored by APSE and the Texas Associated Press Managing Editors. Archive: Every podcast from Barnwell . In the running (40% to 69%): DT Ndamukong Suh. If you need something more, Fitzgerald's 2008 playoff run is probably the best postseason from any receiver in league history.