Voting for the Pro Football Hall of Fame can feel as coordinated as a game in the mud.
Why does one player make it while another with the same stats bounce off the gate? How did they decide on four to eight inductees every year? Surely some folks vote on players they like and neglect the ones they don’t (see: Terrell Owens).
So with apologies to Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt (who were eclipsed by teammates Marvin Harrison and Isaac Bruce, respectively), and first-timer Jared Allen, whom we pass over for DeMarcus Ware, here are seven future NFL Hall of Famers who could be inducted as early as 2022. (We add the years they played and the team for whom they played the longest.)
LeRoy Butler, Safety, Green Bay Packers, 1990-2001
A fine player during the Brett Favre era, Butler anchored the Packers defense for nearly ten years. He went to two Super Bowls, won one, was selected to the Pro Bowl four times, and was also first-team All-Pro in those four seasons. Recently, Butler was blocked out by more glamorous and accomplished safeties, such as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed - two of the five greatest safeties in NFL history. The fact that Butler retired after the 2001 season and still isn't in the HOF proves he's a borderline candidate. But great Packers are tough to keep out of Canton.
Andre Johnson, Wide receiver, Houston Texans, 2003-16
Unlike Smith and Hester, Andre Johnson - at 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds - is a large man for a wideout. And it didn't cost him any speed or dexterity. Though he often toiled on terrible Texans teams, Johnson still did his thing. In 14 NFL seasons, he was selected to seven Pro Bowls,. totaled 1,062 receptions, for 14,185 yards and 70 touchdowns. Unlike many modern-day wideouts, Johnson wasn't a self-obsessed brand manager who only recalled the name on the back of his jersey. He also played before DeShaun Watson arrived, with a conga line of quarterbacks, from David Carr to Tony Banks to Sage Rosenfels to Matt Schaub to T.J. Yates to Case Keenum to Ryan Mallet to....
Steve Smith, Wide receiver, Carolina Panthers, 2001-16
Smith is the first guy you want on your side, and the last guy you want to fight. At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, Smith didn't have the prototypical body for a wideout, didn't short-circuit stop-watches, and didn't rewrite the record books. But few players had his combination of talent, toughness, and temerity. Plus Smith was super-clutch , averaging 20 yards per catch with a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVIII - a nail-biter they lost in the last minute to (guess who?) Tom Brady. But lost in all the adjectives (strong, scrappy, etc.) is Smith's incredible career. In 16 NFL seasons, Smith was selected to five Pro Bowls, caught 1,031 passes, and 14, 731 yards, and 81 touchdowns. More than enough for a call to Canton, Ohio.
Devin Hester, Special teams, Chicago Bears, 2006-16
Hester is one of the few football players in history who was a game-changing weapon without taking a handoff or catching a pass from a quarterback. That's because Hester quickly became the best return man since Billy "White Shoes" Johnson in the '70s. Then Hester morphed into an undeniable force and by far the best returner of punts and kickoffs in NFL history. Hester left quite a footprint on football, holding records for total combined special team touchdowns (20), most non-offensive touchdowns (20), most kickoff and punt return touchdowns, among several others In his only worldwide cameo, Hester started Super Bowl XLI by taking the opening kickoff and racing 92 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Bears lead before the game clock even started. Hopefully it won't take much time for old-school voters to reshape their dated sensibilities and vote for a very deserving Devin Hester.
Zach Thomas, Linebacker, Miami Dolphins, 1996-08
Miami is the land of Dan Marino, of cool neon nights, not blue-collar, bare-knuckle players like Zach Thomas. Add to that he played next to defensive demigod Jason Taylor, who seemed to represent those Dolphins defenses in the Hall of Fame while better linebackers than Thomas, from his aforementioned teammate to Ray Lewis to Brian Urlacher, muscled past Thomas as they entered Canton. But the path looks pretty open for the often overlooked Thomas, who was named to eight Pro Bowls, and who should join the greats of the game in 2022.
DeMarcus Ware, Edge, Dallas Cowboys, 2005-16
For a reminder of Bill Parcells's football genius, consider his 2005 NFL Draft as coach of the Dallas Cowboys. The more famous and flamboyant player, over whom scouts were drooling, was Shawn Merriman - a sack machine with his renowned "Lights Out" celebration over each fallen quarterback. Merriman won Defensive Rookie of the Year and seemed to be coasting past the linemen, quarterback, and straight to Canton. Yet Parcells passed on the pass-rushing stud from Maryland for a player from Troy who was just as productive, more durable, and way more modest. While Merriman notched 39.5 sacks and three Pro Bowl selections over his first three seasons, injuries betrayed his body and he finished his career with just 45.5 sacks and was never in the Pro Bowl again after year three. Meanwhile, Ware was a nine-time Pro Bowl player, four-time first-team All-Pro, made the 2000s all-decade squad and finished his splendid career with 138.5 sacks. He spent his last few seasons in Denver and was a key cog in the defense that confounded Cam Newton in 2015 and allowed Ware to wear his only Super Bowl ring.
Tony Boselli, Offensive tackle, Jacksonville Jaguars, 1995-01
In six full seasons for the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars, Boselli was named to five Pro Bowls. Had injuries not essentially ended his career at age 28, Boselli would be in the same historical orbit as Orlando Pace, Jonathan Ogden, and other incredibly rare talents at tackle. His truncated career allowed for lesser linemen - Alan Faneca, Kevin Mawae, etc. - to slip into the Hall of Fame before him. But while it's not sexy to wax romantically over offensive linemen, NFL games are still won in the trenches, where Tony Boselli was transcendent.
Twitter: @JasonKeidel
Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz NFL Hall Of Fame chances
Hall of Fame QBs Meeting in Super Bowl
10 oldest living NFL players (2021 update)
LISTEN on the Audacy App
Sign Up and Follow Audacy Sports
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
