2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists Announced: Full List and Reaction

The Pro Football Hall of Fame whittled down the number of candidates for potential enshrinement to 18 finalists Thursday, per NFL.com.

Brett Favre, Terrell Owens, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Davis and Kurt Warner highlight the 2016 class of modern-era finalists:   

The Hall of Fame's selection committee will meet Feb. 6 to determine whether any candidates are worthy of induction.

Davis was pleased to merely be considered among this year's finalists, per NFL Network:

In addition to the 15 modern-era finalists, the selection committee will also be considering the resumes of two senior finalists—"players whose careers ended more than 25 years ago"—and a contributor finalist—someone "who made outstanding contributions to professional football other than players and coaches."

You can see the full list of finalists below:

Modern-Era Finalists	Position/Role	Years Active
Senior Finalists	Position/Role	Years Active
Contributor Finalists	Position/Role	Years Active
Morten Andersen	Kicker	1982-2004
Steve Atwater	Safety	1989-1999
Don Coryell	Coach	1973-1986
Terrell Davis	Running Back	1995-2001
Tony Dungy	Coach	1996-2008
Alan Faneca	Guard	1998-2010
Brett Favre	Quarterback	1991-2010
Kevin Greene	Linebacker	1985-1999
Marvin Harrison	Wide Receiver	1996-2008
Joe Jacoby	Tackle	1981-1993
Edgerrin James	Running Back	1999-2009
John Lynch	Free Safety	1993-2007
Terrell Owens	Wide Receiver	1996-2010
Orlando Pace	Tackle	1997-2009
Kurt Warner	Quarterback	1998-2009
Ken Stabler	Quarterback	1970-1984
Dick Stanfel	Guard	1952-1958
Edward DeBartolo Jr.	Owner	1977-2000

The selection committee's rules for induction are defined as such, per NFL.com:

"

The selectors will thoroughly discuss the careers of each finalist. Although there is no set number for any class of enshrinees, the Pro Football Hall of Fame's current ground rules stipulate that between four and eight new members will be selected each year. No more than five Modern-Era Finalists can be elected in a given year and thus a class of six, seven, or eight can only be achieved if the Contributor Finalist and/or one or both of the Senior Finalists are elected.

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Since the committee is limited in whom it can select from the modern era, plenty of worthy candidates are bound to be overlooked for at least another year.

Favre is a lock for the Hall of Fame. He's second in all-time passing yards and passing touchdowns and helped take the Green Bay Packers to back-to-back Super Bowls in the 1996 and 1997 seasons.

The Packers legend has the backing of at least one of today's best quarterbacks, Dallas' Tony Romo, per NFL Network:

Harrison is another likely bet after the committee overlooked him last year. He was half of the most successful quarterback-wide receiver partnership in NFL history with Peyton Manning on the Indianapolis Colts. Last year, Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com argued Harrison's numbers compared favorably with a member of the 2015 Hall of Fame class:

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Tim Brown had 23 fewer touchdowns and fewer catches than Harrison despite playing four more seasons. Harrison was first or second team All-Pro eight times. Brown made the second team once. The comparison between those two receivers illustrate a point that has often bothered me about the Hall of Fame. Voters often reward long periods of consistency over shorter stretches of true brilliance. Harrison makes no sense as a snub, though, because he combined "elite" play with great longevity. He was consistently a top-five receiver in the NFL; Brown was not.

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Assuming Favre and Harrison are in, that would leave only three more modern-era spots available. Warner, Davis, Owens, Tony Dungy, Don Coryell, Orlando Pace, Alan Faneca and Kevin Greene all had Hall of Fame-worthy careers.

The committee will have a hard time selecting the three most deserving from that group.

Those crowded out of this year's ballot won't necessarily have an easier time next year, either, with LaDainian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Hines Ward and Brian Dawkins among those eligible for the first time in 2017.