Pro Football Hall of Fame Predictions: Who Should, Shouldn't Get In?

With 10 weeks done in the 2016 season and the push to the playoffs beginning in earnest, the focus in the National Football League is very much in the here and now.

However, for some, this week shifts attention to both the past and the future.

On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will announce the 25 semifinalists for the Class of 2017. That list, culled from the 94 players and coaches named as nominees, will then be whittled further down to a list of 15 finalists. From that group, a list of no more than five modern-era players will be voted on for enshrinement.

In other words, there's still a long way to go before anyone gets fitted for an ugly beige coat.

However, we aren't about to let a little thing like a byzantine selection process stop us from speculating as to who the semifinalists for the Class of 2017 will be.

We'll go one better and take a stab at predicting next year's inductees.

To give us a jumping-off point for this exercise, I took the semifinalists from the Class of 2016 (minus the players who made it into the Hall, of course) and added this year's first-time nominees. Sure, it's possible a player who was looked over as a semifinalist a year ago could make it past the first cut now—but trying to figure out who that will be from 90-plus players is an exercise in futility.

Let's get after it—starting with the returning semifinalists.

Missed the Cut

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Donovan McNabb

Just to get this far, a player has to have had a very good NFL career. But of this group, these are the players most likely to miss the cut to 25.

Chad Johnson

Johnson retired as the Cincinnati Bengals' all-time leader in receptions (751), receiving yards (10,783) and receiving touchdowns (66). Those records will likely one day be broken by A.J. Green, but in his prime Johnson was arguably Green's equal on the playing field.

However, Johnson is trying to make the Hall of Fame at a position where the bar keeps going up with each successive season. He doesn't have the raw numbers of Terrell Owens or Isaac Bruce or the all-around skill set of Hines Ward. Unlike other candidates, Johnson's teams enjoyed minimal success over the majority of his career.

Johnson will forever be known as the man who literally changed his surname to his jersey number, but he isn't going to be remembered as a Hall of Famer.

Olin Kreutz

Kreutz was only named a first-team All-Pro once, in 2006. That happens to be the year Pro Football Focus began grading players.

From 2006 through his last year with the Chicago Bears, Kreutz graded outside the top 20 at his position more times than inside the top 15, and he didn't finish inside the top 10 once.

Fans in Chicago will always remember Kreutz's toughness and durability, and once fences mend there may be a place for him in Chicago's Ring of Honor.

I don't see one for him in northern Ohio, though.

Donovan McNabb

Back in 2013, a certain handsome scribe at Bleacher Report had this to say about McNabb:

"

He had a very good career in Philadelphia. We'll just forget those stops in Washington and Minnesota ever happened, much like no one ever remembers Joe Namath with the Los Angeles Rams or Johnny Unitas with the San Diego Chargers. However, that funny-looking building in northern Ohio isn't the Hall of Very Good. It's the Hall of Fame. And much like Ron Jaworski, another Eagles quarterback who did pretty well for himself, McNabb's numbers come up a little short.

"

Nothing has changed since then.

Joey Porter

The 2008 season was the only year in Porter's career that he topped 10.5 sacks. Whether you think he was hard-nosed or just flat-out dirty, Porter wasn't the sort to win sportsmanship awards.

No, he was more the sort to get ejected from a game that hadn't started, which coincidentally is how future Hall of Famer James Harrison got his first start with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2004.

Porter's 98 career sacks and the Hall's love of sack artists might get Porter past the first cut, but that's it.

Simply put, Joey Porter isn't a Hall of Famer.

Bob Sanders

What could have been.

That will forever be the story of safety Bob Sanders.

There was a time when Sanders was arguably the best defensive player in football. The Associated Press thought so—it named him the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year with the Colts.

However, there hasn't been a more promising career destroyed by injuries in the last 20 years. In eight NFL seasons, Sanders played more than six games only twice. He played only 50 career games.

At his best, there's no doubt Sanders was a Hall of Fame talent. But he didn't come close to having a Hall of Fame career.

And now, predictions for the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

Edgerrin James

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We've already started to see some of the members of the Peyton Manning-era Indianapolis Colts make it into the Hall of Fame.

Wide receiver Marvin Harrison and head coach Tony Dungy were inducted this past year. Manning's retirement started the five-year clock ticking on his bronze bust as well.

In the opinion of Manning (per 1070 The Fan Radio), there's no question Edgerrin James should get a bust too:

"

There's no doubt about it. And I think there's a large list of guys that I played with, that were a part of the Colts era that I believe [should be Hall of Famers], and no doubt Edgerrin James. ... Absolutely unselfish and just flat-out productive, and guys just flat-out got tired of tackling him in the fourth quarter, right? You remember those games in the fourth quarter, he would just wear guys down. Great work ethic as well, just like Marvin. So I certainly hope he is the next one, because he's due and he deserves it, just like Marvin and Tony do as well.

"

James' resume is impressive. He ran for over 1,500 yards as a rookie in 1999, the first of seven 1,000-yard seasons in nine years. He led the NFL in rushing twice, was a four-time Pro Bowler and ranks 12th all-time with 12,246 yards on the ground.

Sadly, James is a prime candidate to be a victim of the Hall of Fame numbers crunch.

The argument can be made that at his apex, Terrell Davis was a more dominant tailback. As well, while James' portfolio is impressive, there's at least one running back eligible this year with a better one. James also never played in a Super Bowl, leaving Indy just before the team finally got over the hump.

James may well be one of the very last players to miss the very last cut.

But he'll miss it nonetheless.

Inducted?: No

Alan Faneca

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On the surface, there doesn't seem to be much debate over whether Alan Faneca merits a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Over 13 NFL seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals, Faneca was one of the best interior linemen to ever play. The nine-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro was was named to the NFL's All-Decade team for the 2000s.

That Faneca made it as far as he did in his first year of eligibility in 2016 speaks to how esteemed he is. He told ESPN.com's Jeremy Fowler that fact isn't lost on him.

"It's special enough to be here on this short list," Faneca said. "I haven't really thought about [the outcome]. You feel you put your best foot forward on the playing field; now it's an awkward feeling knowing how people officially felt about your playing career. But it's an honor being a first-time guy making the short list."

At some point in the not-too-distant future, Faneca will be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

It just won't be this year.

Almost all the guards in Canton had to play the waiting game. The last modern-era guard inducted (Will Shields of the Kansas City Chiefs) had to wait four years.

Faneca's credentials are impressive, and I have a feeling he'll come close—but not quite close enough.

Inducted?: No

Steve Atwater

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As Andrew Mason of the Denver Broncos website reported, Steve Atwater appeared to have a good read on his chances at induction a year ago:

"

I think more than anything, the film kind of speaks for itself. Certainly I went out and played hard, just like the rest of the guys -- everyone that's on this [finalist] list. Everybody worked hard and did all that they could do. I respect the process that the committee, that they go through to get to these final 15 players and then on to the final five or six, however many they put in. I'm just happy to be a part of it.

"

Atwater's credentials are solid. He's one of the hardest-hitting safeties in NFL history, an eight-time Pro Bowler and a two-time Super Bowl champion.

But there are a couple of reasons why those credentials aren't going to be enough.

For starters, safety is a hard nut to crack where the Hall's concerned. You can count the number of true safeties in Canton on both hands and have fingers to spare.

Also, there's another safety in the mix this season (a Broncos safety, even) who has a resume every bit as impressive as Atwater's.

Atwater may well be worthy of a spot among the very best to ever play the game, but worthiness isn't everything. There's a political side to the Hall of Fame. A numbers game. New nominees to consider.

Atwater will make the cut to 25, but he isn't likely to make it any further this year.

Inducted?: No

John Lynch

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It's already been a big year accolades-wise for John Lynch.

Lynch was recently inducted into the Ring of Honor/Fame of both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Denver Broncos after a 15-year career that saw him make nine Pro Bowls and win a Super Bowl with the Bucs.

Lynch has one big thing going in his favor when it comes to his chances of adding a Hall of Fame blazer to those other honors: Every other Hall-eligible defensive back in NFL history with nine or more Pro Bowl nods is in Canton.

However, as Pat Yasinskas wrote for ESPN.com back in 2015, there are several other numbers that hurt his cause:

"

There hasn't been a true safety selected since Paul Krause in 1998. And it took Krause, who is the NFL's career leader with 81 interceptions, more than a decade to get into the Hall of Fame.

If it was so difficult for Krause to get in, it probably will be even tougher for Lynch. The most important statistic for safeties is interceptions. Lynch had 26 in his career. That's a respectable number, but it's not a Hall of Fame number.

"

Lynch is a three-time finalist who was a linchpin player for a Tampa defense that was the best of its era, but I don't expect him to make the cut in his fourth try.

Inducted?: No

Morten Andersen

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Morten Andersen's Hall of Fame credentials are stellar. No man in NFL history was responsible for more scoring than Andersen, who accounted for 2,544 points over 25 NFL seasons.

He posted more than twice as many points as Jerry Rice, the NFL's all-time touchdown king. As Adam Vinatieri of the Indianapolis Colts told ESPN.com's Mike Triplett, that should be enough.

"With 2,550 points or whatever he's got, that's a crazy number. That's unheard of," Vinatieri said, adding, "To be able to play 25 years at a high level, in my mind he's a shoo-in [for the Hall]."

So what's the problem?

Simple. There is one kicker (Jan Stenerud) and one kicker only in the Hall of Fame who played that position exclusively.

Given all the other players at all the other positions under consideration, Andersen doesn't have a real shot. Not this year. Not next year.

Maybe not ever.

Inducted?: No

Roger Craig

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Roger Craig is becoming old hat at the early stages of the Hall of Fame voting process.

Craig, who played 11 NFL seasons for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders and Minnesota Vikings, has been a semifinalist for the Hall eight times. But only once (in 2010) has Craig made it past that cut.

This, despite a career that includes three Super Bowl wins, four Pro Bowls and an Offensive Player of the Year Award. Craig topped 1,000 yards on the ground three times, and in 1985 he became the first tailback in NFL history to hit 1,000 yards both rushing and receiving in the same year.

Alan Schechter of the Huffington Post believes that dual-threat ability (and the way it changed how running backs are viewed) puts Craig in the conversation for induction:

"

Prior to the days of Roger Craig, running backs were expected to do one thing; run the football. They were used in the running game, but hardly ever in the passing game. Take Walter Payton, the best running back at the time. Over 13 seasons in the league, Payton never caught more than 53 passes in a season. Jim Brown, known as the greatest living football player, never caught more than 46 passes in a single season.

Roger Craig came around and changed all of that.

"

Hall voters don't appear inclined to agree, and LaDainian Tomlinson's eligibility in 2017 makes Craig's odds of becoming a finalist that much longer.

Craig told Daniel Brown of the Mercury News he isn't worried about if he'll make it into the Hall of Fame. It's simply a matter of when.

"I don't let it get to me. I don't get frustrated," Craig said. “The one thing that saved me is that Bill Walsh, just a few days before he died, told me, 'Roger. Don't worry. You're going to get in the Hall of Fame. Just be patient.'"

That patience will be tested again in 2017.

Inducted?: No

Torry Holt

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The Greatest Show on Turf is starting to get its day in the sun.

Running back Marshall Faulk is already in the Hall of Fame. Odds are quarterback Kurt Warner will follow suit (this year if these predictions hold up). It's only natural the next guys up would be the receivers who caught all those long passes.

2017 marks the third year of eligibility for Torry Holt, who piled up 13,382 receiving yards over 11 NFL seasons. Eight straight years from 2000 to 2007, Holt topped 1,000 yards. He was a seven-time Pro Bowl honoree, led the NFL in receiving twice and found the end zone 74 times in his career.

From 2000 to 2005, Holt had 1,300 or more receiving yards for six consecutive seasons—a feat that has not been duplicated before or since.

When Holt and batterymate Isaac Bruce (who we'll get to in just a second) were passed over as finalists last year in favor of Terrell Owens and Marvin Harrison, former Rams offensive coordinator and head coach Mike Martz wasn't shy about how he felt about that decision while speaking to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

"

Had they promoted themselves, which was contrary to everything we were about, they'd probably get in without an issue. ... Look at their production. More importantly, look at their yards per catch. And then look at it consistently over a long period of time — it'll compare to anybody. In some cases, nobody comes close. I mean nobody's even come close to what Torry did.

"

Holt was a great player and a class act who will get his blazer someday. But from Art Monk to Andre Reed to Tim Brown, the glut of Hall-eligible receivers in an evermore pass-heavy NFL has created a bottleneck at the position.

Holt is going to have to wait his turn.

Inducted?: No

Isaac Bruce

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

There's no denying the traffic jam at the wide receiver position is causing a delay for some players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. It's not a new phenomenon either.

Neither is the idea of two teammates at the same position cancelling one another out. We saw it happen with Lynn Swann and John Stallworth of the Pittsburgh Steelers' dynasty of the 1970s.

Bernie Miklasz of 101sports.com (a Hall of Fame voter) sees the same thing happening with Holt and Isaac Bruce:

"

I worry that Bruce and Holt are following the Swann and Stallworth path. Two excellent players and teammates that get voters thinking about things. Who was better, Holt or Bruce? Who was more valuable, Bruce or Holt? Who made more big plays in games that mattered, Bruce or Holt? Who was more consistent, Holt or Bruce? The problem with that is this: the choice shouldn't come down to a Bruce vs. Holt thing.

"

On the surface, Bruce has the better resume. His 15,208 receiving yards over 16 NFL seasons ranks fourth all-time. He's one of 13 players in league history with at least 1,000 career catches. His 91 career receiving touchdowns rank 12th.

Critics will say Bruce's numbers were inflated playing for the GSoT Rams, although it's a bit odd to penalize a receiver for playing on a good offense. The argument can also be made that Holt was a better player, although once again it seems strange to punish Bruce for his longevity.

In any event, no matter how you break down the pecking order at wide receiver, the traffic jam remains.

It'll be a little while before The Reverend joins the congregation in Canton.

Inducted?: No

Hines Ward

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Hines Ward is a very interesting case. One of the most interesting this season, in fact.

There's no problem with Ward's stats. In 14 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Ward made 1,000 catches for 12,083 yards and 85 touchdowns. He was a five-time Pro Bowler, a two-time Super Bowl champion and the MVP of Super Bowl XL.

In historical context, however, they aren't numbers that scream "Hall of Fame!", especially given the glut of receivers waiting their turn at the sculptor's studio.

Of course, one of the things that made him such a special player doesn't show up on the stat sheet. Ward might just be the best blocker at the wideout position who ever played.

Ward admitted to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that he's unsure whether his particular skill set will help his candidacy or hurt it.

"I don't know because I don't know what the criteria is," Ward said. "Is it stats? My stats are OK. Is it MVPs? I got a Super Bowl MVP. I got two Super Bowl rings. I really don't know the criteria. I don't know what is really expected to get in."

If the Hall considers Ward in his totality, it's possible he could leapfrog his way up the wideout list and get in sooner rather than later.

If he's judged solely by his statistics relative to the other wide receivers who are waiting their turn, then it's going to be a while.

At any rate, we aren't going to see a first-ballot Hall of Fame wideout again for some time.

Next year is a long way off.

Inducted?: No

Derrick Mason

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Derrick Mason had a very good NFL career.

Over 15 seasons spent mostly with the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens, Mason reeled in 943 passes for 12,061 yards. He was named to the Pro Bowl twice and played for the Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Mason topped 1,000 yards in a season eight times and caught 103 passes for the Ravens in 2007.

As Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun wrote, Mason has also done something no other player in NFL history has—yet it's not close to enough for serious consideration for the Hall of Fame:

"

Mason is the only player in NFL history with at least 10,000 receiving yards and 5,000 return yards, but just eight receivers have been inducted in the past decade: Marvin Harrison (2016), Tim Brown (2015), Andre Reed (2014), Cris Carter (2013), Jerry Rice (2010), Bob Hayes (2009), Art Monk (2008) and Michael Irvin (2007).

Brown, like Mason, was a returner. His combined kickoff and punt return yardage (4,555) is comparable to Mason's (5,086), but his receiving totals put some distance between them: 1,070 catches, 14,734 yards and 99 touchdowns. Mason was a two-time Pro Bowl selection; Brown earned nine such honors.

"

Look at that list of receivers. Outside Hayes, Mason just isn't in their class—and Hayes got into Canton before the current onslaught of wideouts with gaudy numbers started to hit in earnest.

Derrick Mason had a very good NFL career. His return ability might get him past the first cut.

But he wasn't great.

The Hall of Fame should be reserved for greatness.

Inducted?: No

Tony Boselli

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Tony Boselli was the first draft pick ever made by the Jacksonville Jaguars during their expansion season back in 1995.

Given the luck the team has (or hasn't) had in the first round since, Boselli might be the best first-round pick the Jaguars ever made.

Injuries cut his career short, but for the seven years he played, Boselli was as good on the blind side as any player in the NFL, making five Pro Bowls over that span.

Boselli told ESPN.com's Mike DiRocco earlier this year he isn't concerned the brevity of his career could hurt his chances for the Hall, if only because it's a little too late to worry about it now:

"

What's that going to get me? It's not going to get me anything. It is what it is. I guess the way I look at it, the guys I played against, the guys who watched me play the game, they always said nice things about how I played the game. That's my career. I played it. What can I say? The people in that room have to decide what a Hall of Famer is.

"

Boselli isn't getting in this year, but if Joe Jacoby and/or Alan Faneca are selected for induction in 2017, that will be at least one more name off the list of offensive linemen ahead of him.

Most of the other elite tackles of his era (Willie Roaf, Jonathan Ogden, Orlando Pace and Walter Jones) have already gotten the call, and Hall of Fame voters have appeared more open in recent years to considering players whose careers were shortened.

Boselli will be the first Jaguar to make it into the Hall of Fame.

But 2017 isn't the year that happens.

Inducted?: No

Mike Kenn

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If you haven't heard of Mike Kenn, don't feel bad. Either you aren't a fan of the Atlanta Falcons or you're under the age of 40.

Kenn anchored the Atlanta offensive line for a long time, playing from 1978 to 1994. Much of that time was spent languishing in obscurity on bad teams, as Atlanta won all of two playoff games over the entirety of his career.

Thirteen years apart.

Those struggles weren't Kenn's fault, however. A five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro honoree, Kenn was quietly one of the best left tackles of the 1980s.

In fact, as I.J. Rosenberg of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported, Kenn thinks playing on bad teams might actually help his cause.

"That is my whole point about the Hall of Fame," he said. "It is much harder to play at a higher level with a poor cast of characters."

Tell us how you really feel, Mike.

"I do believe my play merits the Hall," he told the AJC, "but I don't have a vote. The thing is, during my career I think my sack ratio was 2.97 percent, and I played left tackle uncovered with no help. I played against all the great pass-rushers that are in the Hall."

I don't know that Kenn was a better player than Boselli. In fact, in their respective primes I'd give the nod to Boselli, and I'm old enough to have seen Kenn play in the days of red helmets.

But Kenn was very, very good for a very long time, he's running out of bites at the apple and his candidacy picked up some steam in 2016.

He won't make it all the way, but Kenn could be the finalist this year most likely to leave people asking the question "Who?"

Inducted?: No

Kevin Mawae

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Kevin Mawae is in the same boat as many of the players on this list—especially on the offensive line.

Based solely on his accomplishments, Mawae would appear an easy "yes." Over a 16-year NFL career with the New York Jets, Tennessee Titans and Seattle Seahawks, Mawae was named to eight Pro Bowls and nabbed three first-team All-Pro nods.

Mawae was as tough as they come, to the point that he often found himself included on annual lists of the NFL's dirtiest players. However, Mawae was quick to differentiate between dirty play and simply sending a message that you weren't to be messed with.

"Have I ever forearmed a guy in the face? 100 percent I have," Mawae said on ESPN 104.5 Baton Rouge in 2015 (h/t Scott Roussel of Football Scoop). "My rookie year I put a forearm in Ray Childress's face at the end of the play when he was on his knees to let him know I was not some punk rookie against an All-Pro player."

Mawae may not have made many friends on opposing teams, but there were more than a few quarterbacks and tailbacks who benefited from that mean streak.

Mawae's candidacy, like so many others, is a waiting game. He was a semifinalist in each of his first two years of eligibility but has yet to make the cut to the final 15.

That's how things will go at least one more year, but Mawae is on a collision course with Canton.

Inducted?: No

Jason Taylor

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Back in 2011, with Jason Taylor about to announce his retirement from the game, Hall of Fame voter John Clayton of ESPN.com offered this preview of how things might shake out while speaking to colleague James Walker:

"

One of the problems that happens is when you have 100-sack guys going against 100-sack guys, they take votes away from each other. So sometimes there can be a stall three, four or five years. It depends on who Taylor is coming up against when he's up in five years. Anytime you get 100 sacks you're in the running, but you're also competing with other guys who have 100 sacks. That will probably prevent him from being first ballot, but I think ultimately he can make it.

"

In one respect, Taylor lucked out a bit. Since Kevin Greene finally got in last year, Taylor doesn't have to worry about head-to-head comparisons to pass-rushing greats this go-round.

It isn't really a question of if Taylor will get in. His 139.5 sacks over 15 NFL seasons rank sixth all-time, although with his next sack Julius Peppers of the Green Bay Packers will pass him. Taylor topped 10 sacks in a season six times, including an eye-popping 18.5 in 2002.

He was named to six Pro Bowls and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.

Every Hall-eligible player in the top 10 all-time in sacks is in Canton. Taylor will join them, possibly as early as 2018.

But it isn't going to happen this year. Taylor's resume may well be enough to propel him all the way to the final set of cuts, but there are just too many other deserving candidates waiting in the wings.

Inducted?: Give it one more year. Maybe two.

Karl Mecklenburg

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Karl Mecklenburg was a key component of the Broncos' three Super Bowl trips in the 1980s, playing both as an inside linebacker and a down lineman. Mecklenburg was a Pro Bowler six times in 12 seasons, and he was named a first-team All-Pro three times.

Broncos blogger Thomas Hall of Gridiron Orange doesn't think there's any doubt Mecklenburg's achievements merit induction.

"When he retired he had tallied 1,104 tackles, sacked the quarterback 79 times, forced 16 fumbles and scored a safety," Hall wrote. "Those 79 sacks ranks him No. 1 for anyone who played the inside linebacker position. He is also one of the select few who have more than 1,000 tackles and at least 70 sacks."

However, while Mecklenburg made the cut to 25 last year, that was as far as he got. Given the competition this season, it's hard to think that situation will improve.

It's no knock on Mecklenburg. He was a great player...who keeps getting bumped by greater ones.

Inducted?: No

Sam Mills

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Undersized linebacker Sam Mills played like his hair was on fire. Over his three years in the USFL, Mills was one of that league's best defensive players. Over a 12-year NFL career, Mills made five Pro Bowls and established himself as a fan favorite with his small size and huge heart.

But while making a case for Mills to be the first Panthers player inducted into the Hall back in 2013, ESPN.com's David Newton explained exactly why he won't get into Canton.

"The late Sam Mills would be a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame if selections were based solely on character," Newton said. "Mills, also a better-than-average linebacker with five Pro Bowl selections..."

That's as far as it needs to go. I loved watching Sam Mills play, and he absolutely deserves his spot in the Panthers Hall of Honor.

But better than average isn't good enough for the Hall of Fame.

Inducted?: No

Ty Law

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Ty Law intercepted 53 passes over 15 NFL seasons spent with four teams, twice leading the NFL in that category. He intercepted Peyton Manning nine times during the many duels between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, including three times in the AFC Championship Game during the 2003 season.

Perhaps more importantly, Law was never shy about getting dirty in run support.

The Patriots dynasty we're all so sick of now might never have been had Law not been back there prowling its secondary.

However, Andy Hart of the Patriots website wrote that in spite of all Law did for the Pats, it isn't enough to put him over the top:

"

Cornerback is also a position that has pretty limited representation in the Hall of Fame. ... While a guy who was the fourth-best at his position during his career might get in at quarterback or wide receiver, only the truly best of the best get in on defense, especially at cornerback. Heck, Law isn't even the best cornerback in Patriots history – a spot reserved for Hall of Famer Mike Haynes.

"

So as far as Law's making the final cut, I could see that going either way. He's right on the edge, and his candidacy will generate heated discussions behind closed doors.

But even if Law gets further this year than he ever has, he isn't making it all the way in in 2017.

Inducted?: No

Brian Dawkins

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Brian Dawkins' first year of eligibility for the Pro Football Hall of Fame won't help the glut of safeties who are jockeying to land in Canton.

Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News doesn't care for that position. In his opinion, it's an easy call.

"Dawkins redefined the safety position," Domowitch said. "He was a cornerback in a safety's body. He is the only defensive back in history with more than 25 sacks, interceptions and forced fumbles each."

Former teammate Quintin Mikell agreed with Domowitch that it wasn't just a matter of the nine Pro Bowls or the four All-Pro teams. It's that Dawk changed the way safeties are viewed in the National Football League:

"

Dawk was really the first safety that really blitzed, covered, did it all. Ronnie Lott kind of did that, too. But he started out as a corner. In this era, Dawk was the first to do that. He made big plays when we needed them. ... The position used to be a lot different. But in my era, in the time I really started watching the game with football eyes, Dawk changed the position.

"

I don't know about casually tossing Dawkins into a conversation with the player most consider the best safety in NFL history, but Dawkins was a great player in his own right. His nose for the football and penchant for big plays can only help his cause relative to a player like John Lynch.

But to get in the Hall of Fame on the first ballot as a safety is near impossible.

Dawkins was arguably the best free safety of his era. His odds of making it to Canton are solid. And he might well get in ahead of some guys who have been waiting longer.

But there's going to be a wait.

Inducted?: No

Terrell Davis

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Terrell Davis has been a finalist for the Hall of Fame twice and a semifinalist a whopping 10 times. Much like Kurt Warner (who we'll get to in a moment), his candidacy is about quality vs. quantity.

There's no arguing there was plenty of the former over his seven NFL seasons. Davis was a two-time Super Bowl champion, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXII and the NFL's MVP in 1998. During that magical 1998 season, Davis became one of seven men to gain more than 2,000 rushing yards in a season.

Make no mistake—without Davis behind him, John Elway doesn't close out his career with back-to-back championships for the Denver Broncos.

The problem is that 1998 season was also effectively the end of the line for Davis. That year, he topped 1,000 rushing yards for the fourth time in four seasons. He also carried the ball a staggering 392 times.

After that, Davis would never gain even 750 yards in a season, and in three years he was out of the league altogether.

When healthy and on top of his game, Davis was as hard a runner as the NFL has ever seen. But four big years, to this point, haven't been enough to get him the nod in Canton.

It wouldn't be a huge shock if he's inducted, and Davis is certain to make at least the first cut.

But there's another tailback eligible this year with a better overall resume who's all but a lock, and that means another year out in the cold for Davis.

Inducted?: No

Jimmy Johnson

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Were it up to me, one spot in this hypothetical Hall of Fame class would go to the coiffed one.

There's no chance the selection committee will go with two coaches, though, and there's another one eligible for the Class of 2017 who is well past overdue for induction.

But Jimmy Johnson deserves to get in...soon.

I'm well aware that putting Johnson in the Hall of Fame based on five years with the Dallas Cowboys would rankle some people. But the Hall is supposed to be about greatness, and you'd be hard-pressed to find a greater run than those Cowboys went on in winning three Super Bowls in four years.

It isn't just that Johnson coached those Cowboys teams. He built them from the ground up, from dumpster fire to dynasty in the span of a few years. Yes, free-agency rules were different. But it was Johnson who orchestrated the Great Trade Robbery, Johnson who oversaw drafts that netted the Cowboys a nucleus littered with Hall of Famers.

After Johnson was forced out because he refused to let Jerry Jones screw up his roster, Barry Switzer won a third championship two years later with a team you or I could coach. And then, with Jerruh firmly at the helm...

Remind me—when was the last time the Cowboys played in the Super Bowl?

Only three coaches have ever won a Super Bowl and a collegiate national championship. Only one has won two Super Bowls and a national title.

Pete Carroll may soon join Johnson in that club, but for now it's his and his alone.

It wasn't a long tenure. And Johnson's time in Miami was uneventful.

But if the Hall of Fame is all about greatness, then a bust with hair even more immovable than JJ's needs to be in it.

Inducted?: Should be, but won't.

The Class of 2017

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And then there were five.

Assuming I'm somewhere close to halfway accurate, the modern-era members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will be:

1. Don Coryell, HC

2. Joe Jacoby, OT

3. Terrell Owens, WR

4. LaDainian Tomlinson, RB

5. Kurt Warner, QB

Now let's get to know the Hall's newest (maybe) members.

Don Coryell

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We've hit the cool kids' table now. The projected newcomers to the Hall of Fame.

Don Coryell was cool. Wacky cool. Pass-wacky cool before pass-wacky in the NFL was cool.

In a coaching career that spanned over 25 years at the collegiate and professional levels, Coryell revolutionized the way offenses throw the football. There isn't a team in the National Football League today that doesn't use at least some concepts from his "Air Coryell" offense.

Attacking teams vertically down the field? Coryell.

Splitting the tight end out wide? Coryell.

Timing routes where the quarterback targets a spot and not a player? Coryell.

Single-back sets with two tight ends? Coryell.

The list goes on and on and on.

Of course, there's one big caveat with Coryell. For all his innovation, Coryell never coached in a Super Bowl, let alone won one. As Hall voter Nick Canepa told Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, that's a deal-breaker in the eyes of some.

"I don't think there is anybody in that room who doesn't acknowledge Coryell's strength to be in the Hall of Fame for what he did to the game," Canepa said. "But there are some people who are always quick to point out and you just aren't going to convince because he never made it to the Super Bowl as a coach."

Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, who played quarterback for Coryell, isn't hearing that. "Don contributed so much to the way the game is played today, on both sides of the ball," Fouts said. "He has influenced the game more than many, many guys. And some of the guys that are finalists would not be finalists had they not played in the Don Coryell system."

The Hall of Fame isn't solely the province of players and coaches with Lombardi Trophies. It's supposed to be reserved for the best of the best, period.

Coryell was the first coach ever with 100 wins at both the collegiate and professional levels and a man whose fingerprints remain all over the game. Not just for one team either. For all 32 of them.

If that isn't Hall-worthy, I don't know what is.

Joe Jacoby

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Given how long it took Joe Jacoby of the Washington Redskins to even become a finalist for the Hall of Fame, the belief was the offensive tackle was more fringe candidate than serious contender for a spot.

Not so, according to Hall voter Clark Judge of Talk of Fame Sports. He said Jacoby just barely missed making it in last time:

"

The fifth modern-era candidate. We predicted it would come down to Tony Dungy vs. Kurt Warner, and it did … maybe. In all likelihood, it was Dungy vs. Warner or Dungy vs. Joe Jacoby. A first-time finalist, Jacoby caught a late wave into the Final 10 and was a threat to make it to Canton. But he fell short, and blame it on the process if you'd like. Pace had more support, and putting in two left tackles at once was going to be difficult … if not improbable.

"

Redskins president Bruce Allen told ESPN Radio (via Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post) that he has no doubt whatsoever Jacoby merits a bust in the Hall of Fame.

"When Lawrence Taylor and Charles Haley say you're a Hall of Famer, and you're playing in the NFC East, and you have three Super Bowl rings in probably the greatest generation of the NFC East, I think Joe belongs," Allen said.

He has a point. In addition to those three Super Bowl wins, Jacoby was a four-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro as a key member of the Redskins' vaunted "Hogs." He was also named to the NFL's All-1980s second team.

Most importantly, if you believe Judge (and we have no reason not to), Jacoby has momentum and support among voters. He's waited his turn, and now it's time.

His induction may well cause some fans to bicker because so-and-so didn't get in, but what's a year without grousing?

Terrell Owens

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Terrell Owens' Hall of Fame candidacy may be about to hit a snag.

You see, Owens, at 42 years young, wants to play again.

I'm not kidding. According to ESPN.com, Owens recently tweeted to the Eagles that he was "available," throwing in that "if they call, I ball."

Of course, it's rare for there to be a day when Owens doesn't have something to say. Per the Dallas Morning News, Owens wasn't at a loss for words when he was passed over by Hall of Fame voters in 2016 in favor of Marvin Harrison:

"

I felt more so disrespected. I think you guys know, my stats speak for themselves. I think everyone realizes that there is a flaw in the system. ... I probably would have been more surprised if I had made it. It's a shame for some pencil-pushers to vote guys in, considering the body of work they've done and put out on the football field. What I've done throughout my career speaks volumes.

"

Of course, that's sort of the problem. As Hall of Fame voter Gary Myers of the New York Daily News told The Dan Patrick Show (via USA Today), the biggest thing keeping Owens out of Canton may be that thing on the front of his face that never closes:

"

The bottom line on T.O. is he was so disruptive. With (Lawrence Taylor), you don't count the off-the-field stuff. That's a mandate from the Hall of Fame — it's only what you've done on the field. The argument that was made in the room, and I agreed with this, is what T.O. did in the locker room is a part. ... He's a Hall of Fame player that five teams couldn't wait to get rid of. So what does that tell about how disruptive he was?

"

No one is going to argue that Owens was a loudmouth. More than any player in NFL history, Owens is responsible for the image of modern wide receivers as divas.

However, he's also second all-time in receiving yards (15,934), seventh in receptions (1,078) and third in receiving touchdowns (153).

The voters may have denied Owens a first-ballot nod because of the nonsense that followed him wherever he went, but it doesn't change the fact he's one of the greatest pass-catchers the NFL has ever seen.

LaDainian Tomlinson

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It isn't all that often that a player who never played in a Super Bowl is considered more or less a shoo-in to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Of course, it isn't often a tailback like LaDainian Tomlinson comes along.

In each of Tomlinson's first eight NFL seasons, he rushed for over 1,000 yards for the San Diego Chargers. Three times he eclipsed 2,000 total yards in a campaign. Tomlinson was a five-time Pro Bowler, the winner of both the NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards in 2006 and the record-holder for rushing touchdowns in a season with 28.

The early part of his career was spent languishing on bad teams, but Tomlinson was one of the best tailbacks of the last 20 years. Some would argue he was the best.

By the time Tomlinson called it a career, his 13,684 rushing yards placed him fifth in the history of the NFL. All four backs ahead of him are in the Hall of Fame.

As Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders pointed out, Tomlinson's resume is like the Energizer rabbit—it just keeps going and going:

"

He was more than just the fifth-leading rusher in NFL history. We'll remember the visor, the high-scoring days in the powder-blue jerseys, the seven touchdown passes he threw, the four 200-yard rushing games, the 18-game touchdown streak (2004-05), the 100-catch season (2003), the single-season record 31 touchdowns in 2006's MVP campaign, and the only back-to-back rushing championships (2006-07) of this century.

"

Tomlinson did it all—bang away between the tackles, beat defenders to the boundary, catch the ball out of the backfield—and he did it at an elite level.

If he isn't in on the first try, something is very, very wrong.

Kurt Warner

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2017 will mark the third year in which Kurt Warner is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

For the two-time finalist, Super Bowl winner and two-time NFL MVP, the third time just might be the charm.

At his pinnacle, Warner played the quarterback position as well as anyone in the NFL ever has. He was the maestro of the St. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" offense that played in two Super Bowls in three years. After resurrecting his career with the Arizona Cardinals, Warner led the Redbirds to a berth in Super Bowl XLIII.

His was the story made for a Hollywood movie—the undrafted player who went from grocery bagger to Arena League star to the unlikeliest NFL MVP ever. Known almost as much for his devout faith and philanthropic work as his ability to throw a football, he is the epitome of what people visualize the good-guy quarterback to be.

Given that, some may not understand why Warner isn't already in.

However, it isn't that cut-and-dried. Warner didn't enjoy the prolonged success of other Hall of Fame quarterbacks. He was 28 before he ever started a game in the NFL. Between his successes in St. Louis and Arizona were struggles, including a forgettable season in New York. While he was really great when he was great, Warner only has three 4,000-yard seasons on his NFL resume.

After missing the cut back in February, Warner admitted to ESPN Radio (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com) that he knows his is an atypical case.

"There's different situations for different people," Warner said. "I think that's the hardest thing when you try to quantify or qualify my career is that I just didn't get the opportunities that everyone else did."

Still, only three quarterbacks in NFL history have played in the Super Bowl for two different teams. Only one of those signal-callers did so for clubs who were perennial bottom-feeders before his arrival—Warner. He also owns the three biggest passing games in Super Bowl history.

Quality wins out over quantity this time around.