Pro Football Hall of Fame 2015: NFL Inductees, Class Finalists and Predictions

The Lombardi Trophy as a Super Bowl champion may be the ultimate prize in football, but it is hard to top Hall of Fame enshrinement on the individual level.

A number of former greats will join that exclusive club Saturday when the Pro Football Hall of Fame announces its class of 2015. There was originally a list of 113 candidates, but that has been trimmed to 18 over the course of the selection process.

Here is a look at the entire list of finalists, via Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group:

Player	Position
Morten Anderson	Kicker
Jerome Bettis	Running Back
Tim Brown	Wide Receiver
Don Coryell	Head Coach
Terrell Davis	Running Back
Tony Dungy	Head Coach
Kevin Greene	Linebacker/Defensive End
Charles Haley	Linebacker/Defensive End
Marvin Harrison	Wide Receiver
Jimmy Johnson	Coach
John Lynch	Safety
Orlando Pace	Tackle
Bill Polian	Contributor
Junior Seau	Linebacker
Will Shields	Guard
Mick Tingelhoff	Center
Kurt Warner	Quarterback
Ron Wolf	Contributor

The new class must include at least four members but cannot have more than eight. There are three different categories (modern-era finalists, senior finalists and contributor finalists), and 80 percent of the vote is required to be deemed a Hall of Famer. 

There are bound to be surprises and virtual locks, as well as a snub or two, when the inductees are announced. Here are my predicted Hall of Famers:

Player/Name	Category Type
Bill Polian	Contributor
Ron Wolf	Contributor
Mick Tingelhoff	Senior
Junior Seau	Modern
Orlando Pace	Modern
Charles Haley	Modern
Kurt Warner	Modern
Marvin Harrison	Modern

Names to Watch

Junior Seau

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

Junior Seau is as close to a lock as you can find among this year’s candidates.

He is widely considered one of the best defensive players in the history of the game and was an absolute force on the football field for the San Diego Chargers, Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. While he played for three teams, he became a San Diego icon early in his career and throughout his prime.

It is still difficult to think of the Chargers and the lightning bolt on the side of the helmet without thinking of Seau prowling the middle of the field.

He made 12 Pro Bowls, was a first-team All-Pro selection eight times, racked up 56.5 sacks and 18 interceptions and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1992. He also played in two Super Bowls, including the Chargers’ only appearance in the big game. 

Despite the statistical accolades, Seau’s impact went beyond the box score. He was one of the best on-field leaders on the defensive side of the ball fans have ever seen and will serve as a metaphorical leader one more time as the face of this year’s Hall of Fame class.

Orlando Pace

Nick Laham/Getty Images

Offensive linemen rarely get the recognition they deserve, but that will change for Orlando Pace Saturday.

Pace was a downright terrifying blocker on the outside and was arguably the most critical cog in the high-octane attack from the St. Louis Rams in the early 2000s as Kurt Warner’s blindside protector. He kept the quarterback upright long enough for Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce to get open downfield and also plowed open the holes for the shifty Marshall Faulk to burst through.

Bruce discussed Pace’s importance, via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com:

"

A lot of us on the perimeter -- quarterbacks, running backs -- sometimes we could be replaced for a game or two. But there was a guy like Orlando Pace, there’s no replacing him. How do you do what you do without him there? He was the one guy we didn’t want to lose to a knee injury or for two or three games. Oh, no, that changes everything. So to me, he’s the guy. He’s the guy that you didn’t want to have to replace. Thank god we didn’t have to.

"

Pace was the key piece on the offensive line for a Rams offense that finished in the top 10 of total offense seven different times and led the league in points in three consecutive campaigns. He also blocked for the NFL MVP in three straight years (Warner in 1999, Faulk in 2000 and Warner again in 2001). 

Pace was a seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro selection.

Charles Haley 

Mike Powell/Getty Images

Elliot Harrison of NFL.com made a strong case for Charles Haley’s induction:

"

How in the heck is Charles Haley not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Anyone? Anyone?

Bueller?

The only thing worse than a guy with five Super Bowl rings and 100 career sacks having to wait this long to get inducted is that "Godzilla" movie Ferris did in the '90s.

The '90s are when Mr. Haley cemented his legacy, starting the decade with an appearance as a San Francisco 49er in the 1990 NFC Championship Game, one of the best contests ever. Haley would go on to play in four of the next five NFC title games, all as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. He is widely regarded as the man who pushed Jimmy Johnson -- also a finalist this year -- and his young football team to a pair of Lombardi Trophies (and one more after Johnson left).

"

What more can you ask for with Haley?

The team success is there, with five championships on two of the most legendary franchises in the history of the league, and the individual numbers are also there, with an impressive 100 career sacks.

Haley finished with six seasons of double-digits sack totals, earned NFC Defensive Player of the Year status twice, was voted to five Pro Bowls and was named an All-Pro two times, once as a linebacker and once as a defensive end.

That’s right, he was named an All-Pro at two different positions, which deserves some recognition all on its own.

The ultimate recognition will come Saturday when he gets the Hall of Fame call.

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