2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class

The initial list of 130 candidates has been released. There are 14 first-time candidates: Peyton Manning; Steven Jackson; Calvin Johnson, Wes Welker and Roddy White; Heath Miller; D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Logan Mankins; Jared Allen, Justin Tuck and Kevin Williams; Jerod Mayo; Charles Tillman and Charles Woodson.

There is a chance that four spots are already taken with first-timers if you go Manning and Woodson, who are locks regardless, and Allen and Johnson.


QUARTERBACKS
(8): Drew Bledsoe, Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Jeff Garcia, Dave Krieg, Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, Steve McNair

RUNNING BACKS
(17): Shaun Alexander, Mike Alstott (FB), Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Warrick Dunn, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Steven Jackson, Jamal Lewis, Eric Metcalf (also WR/KR/PR), Glyn Milburn (also WR/KR/PR), Lorenzo Neal (FB), Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker (also KR), Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS
(13): Donald Driver, Henry Ellard (also PR), *Torry Holt, Calvin Johnson, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward, *Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker, Roddy White

TIGHT ENDS
(7): Dallas Clark, Ben Coates, Keith Jackson, Brent Jones, Heath Miller, Jeremy Shockey, Wesley Walls

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
(20): Willie Anderson (T), Matt Birk (C), *Tony Boselli (T), Lomas Brown (T), Ruben Brown (G), *Alan Faneca (G), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (T), Kevin Glover (C/G), Jordan Gross (T), Kent Hull (C), Olin Kreutz (C), Logan Mankins (G), Tom Nalen (C), Chris Samuels (T), Jeff Saturday (C), Chris Snee (G), Brian Waters (G), Richmond Webb (T), Erik Williams (T), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
(15): John Abraham (DE also LB), Jared Allen (DE), Ray Childress (DT/DE), La’Roi Glover (DT/NT), Casey Hampton (DT/NT), Leslie O’Neal (DE), Michael Dean Perry (DT/DE), Simeon Rice (DE), *Richard Seymour (DT), Justin Smith (DE), Neil Smith (DE), Greg Townsend (DE/LB/DT/NT), Justin Tuck (DE), Kevin Williams (DT), *Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS
(16): Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Tedy Bruschi, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Clay Matthews Jr., Jerod Mayo, Willie McGinest (also DE), *Sam Mills, Joey Porter, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Pat Swilling (also DE), Darryl Talley, *Zach Thomas, Patrick Willis

DEFENSIVE BACKS
(18): Eric Allen (CB), Ronde Barber (CB/S), *LeRoy Butler (S), Nick Collins (S), Merton Hanks (S), Rodney Harrison (S), James Hasty (DB), Albert Lewis (CB), *John Lynch (S), Tim McDonald (S), Allen Rossum (DB), Asante Samuel (DB), Bob Sanders (S), Charles Tillman (CB), Troy Vincent (CB), Adrian Wilson (S), Charles Woodson (CB/S), Darren Woodson (S)

PUNTERS/KICKERS
(12): David Akers (K), Gary Anderson (K), Jason Elam (K), Jeff Feagles (P), Jason Hanson (K), John Kasay (K), Sean Landeta (P), Ryan Longwell (K), Nick Lowery (K), Reggie Roby (P), Rohn Stark (P), Matt Turk (P)

SPECIAL TEAMS
(4): Josh Cribbs (KR/PR also WR), Mel Gray (PR/KR also WR), Brian Mitchell (KR/PR also RB), Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

 

My guess at the 25 finalists (not my 25 but who they will be) revealed in November:

QUARTERBACKS
Randall Cunningham, Peyton Manning

RUNNING BACKS
Shaun Alexander, Tiki Barber, Priest Holmes, Herschel Walker (also KR), Ricky Watters

WIDE RECEIVERS
Henry Ellard (also PR), *Torry Holt, Calvin Johnson, Hines Ward, *Reggie Wayne

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
*Tony Boselli (T), *Alan Faneca (G), Steve Wisniewski (G)

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Jared Allen (DE), *Richard Seymour (DT), *Bryant Young (DT)

LINEBACKERS
*Sam Mills, *Zach Thomas, Patrick Willis

DEFENSIVE BACKS
*LeRoy Butler (S), *John Lynch (S), Charles Woodson (CB/S)

SPECIAL TEAMS
Steve Tasker (ST also WR)

 

1. JAKE DELHOMME!!!!!!

2. What do the asterisks mean?

 

3. Fred Taylor's Hall of Fame prospects are doubtful. But could be upgraded to questionable by game day.

 

In hindsight, that is a glaring omission. Nunn was a big part of building that dynasty, though I'm not sure people recognized it yet when Blount was doing his reporting.

 

Would Calvin Johnson be the first marijuana entrepreneur to make the Hall?

 

Load was published in 1974, which was before the 74 Steeler draft that turned the Steelers from a good team to the Steelers.

 

Legal? Sure.

 

They were a finalist last year

 

I thought of mentioning that, too. Nunn started working for the team in 1968, so I am still a little surprised that Blount didn't include him at all. (I honestly don't remember. I haven't read it in years.) My copy is an updated version with articles Blount wrote about the team in the years that followed the publishing of the book.

 

But, Steelers already had Bradshaw, Franco, Mansfield, Ham, Greene, White, Greenwood, Holmes, Gerela, Russell, Wagner, Blount, Bleier... and John Dockery of Harvard (and Channel 5 NY).

 

I see a few guys in that list of 130 I think belong in the Hall but have no chance anytime soon.

Sam Mills, for one. Shaun Alexander is another.