Ranking the Careers of the 2017 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class

Pull up a bar stool. It's time to partake in every sports fan's favorite pastime: arguing about the best of all time.

In this case, we'll argue who is the most influential individual about to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame. 

Owner Jerry Jones, quarterback Kurt Warner, defensive end Jason Taylor, safety Kenny Easley, kicker Morten Andersen and running backs LaDainian Tomlinson and Terrell Davis will be enshrined Saturday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio. 

It's an eclectic group featuring three abbreviated careers, four non-Super Bowl winners and a kicker. Each dominated enough to warrant a bust in Canton, but numerous discussions arose regarding those who weren't chosen to be inducted this year. 

That's an argument for another time. Today's exercise is to determine which among those being inducted had the greatest NFL career. 

Longevity, peak performances and how each changed the game factored into the equation. In the end, one titan stands above the rest of these greats, all of whom are getting ready to put on their gold jackets for the first time. 

7. Morten Andersen

Owen C. Shaw/Getty Images

Kicker, New Orleans Saints (1982-94); Atlanta Falcons (1995-2000 & 2006-07); New York Giants (2001); Kansas City Chiefs (2002-03); Minnesota Vikings (2004)

Kickers are people, too. Granted, their general absence from the Pro Football Hall of Fame doesn't lend much credence to that statement. 

Technically, Morten Andersen will be the fourth kicker enshrined. Two of the previous three weren't true specialists. Both George Blanda and Lou Groza played other positions to help their Hall of Fame cases. Jan Stenerud became the first pure kicker to enter the hallowed halls in 1991. 

Aside from punter Ray Guy in 2014, specialists have been shunned for the past 26 years, even though—as coaches often say—their contributions are a third of the game. 

Andersen is the logical starting point for kickers to receive more recognition. 

In the coming years, the Hall of Fame committee will seriously consider Gary Anderson and Adam Vinatieri (once he retires). All of them fall well short of Andersen's production. 

During his 25-year career, the much-traveled placekicker set numerous NFL records. Andersen is still the league's all-time leader with 2,544 points. He attempted (709) and converted (565) more field goals than any other kicker. He also played in more games (382) than any player in league history. 

Those four stats alone make him worthy of enshrinement, even if he's only a kicker. 

6. Kenny Easley

Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Safety, Seattle Seahawks (1981-87)

Long before Kam Chancellor became the NFL's measuring stick for strong safties, Kenny Easley served in the same capacity for the Seahawks. 

At 6'3" and 206 pounds, Easley wasn't a typical strong safety. During the 1980s, the two safety positions generally required two different skill sets. Free safeties were needed in coverage as deep defenders, while strong safeties served as intimidators for those running routes across the field or extra linebackers against the run. 

Easley showed he could do both upon his arrival in Seattle after the Seahawks selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 1981 NFL draft. His ball skills rivaled his physicality. In just seven seasons, the safety snatched 32 interceptions—including a league-leading 10 during the 1984 campaign in which he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. 

The five-time Pro Bowl and three-time first-team All-Pro performer's greatness was nearly lost to the sands of time for two reasons. 

First, a kidney disease caused him to abruptly retire following the 1987 season. A Hall of Fame resume is tough to build in only seven seasons. 

Second, Easley sued the Seahawks organization claiming "an overuse of Advil...exacerbated his kidney disease and led to total kidney failure," per the New York Times' Thomas George. Due to the lawsuit, the two parties became disenchanted for an extended period of time before finally reuniting in 2002. 

"I didn't watch an NFL football game, college football game, high school football game, for 15 years basically," Easley said, per Tim Booth of the Associated Press. "I didn't watch a football game until the night that I was inducted into the Seahawks Ring of Honor. (That) was the first football game I had watched in 15 years."

As the saying goes, "Out of sight, out of mind." Easley fell out of the spotlight for a long time. But the Pro Football Hall of Fame's senior committee didn't forget, and it nominated the standout defensive back. Once Easley is officially enshrined, every defensive member from the first-team 1980s All-Decade Team will be in the Hall of Fame. 

"I played only one way, and that was to leave it all on the field every game," Easley told NFL player engagement insider Jim Gehman. "I knew no other way to play. And I always said if I had to walk away from the game early because of injury, at least I can say that I left it out there and I did it to the best of my ability every opportunity I had."

5. Kurt Warner

Doug Mills/Associated Press

Quarterback, St. Louis Rams (1998-2003); New York Giants (2004); Arizona Cardinals (2005-09)

When Kurt Warner's career is remembered, the good will override the mediocre to downright awful. 

Warner's best made him and his offenses a near-unstoppable force. The "Greatest Show on Turf" still ranks as one of the greatest offenses in NFL history. Warner threw for 4,353 yards and a league-high 41 touchdowns during the 1999 campaign and won his first of two league MVP awards. The Rams also won Super Bowl XXXIV, and Warner was named Super Bowl MVP. 

He broke his hand the following season and played only 11 games before returning to MVP form in 2001 with 4,830 passing yards and 36 touchdown passes. However, injuries and/or poor play derailed a number of his seasons. Between the 2002 and '06 campaigns, the quarterback started only 31 games with a 27-to-30 touchdown-to-interception ratio. 

Warner experienced a career resurgence upon taking over the starting reins for the Cardinals. His final three seasons were nearly as good as his first three, as he threw for 11,753 yards and 83 touchdowns. The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback also helped lead the Cardinals to their first and only Super Bowl appearance in franchise history. 

Warner became a legend long before his career came to a close, though.

After a short stint with the Green Bay Packers, Warner had to work in a grocery store to make ends meet. He played three seasons with the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers and even spent a season playing for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe before finally getting another NFL shot. 

"They think, 'Oh my gosh, he went from stocking shelves to winning the Super Bowl. How in the world did that happen?'" Warner said, per the Canton Repository's Joe Scalzo. "But here's the thing: Every time I got a chance, I was highly successful. And when I got my opportunity with the Rams, I didn't expect anything different."

Warner is the NFL's ultimate rags-to-riches story. His play at its peak rivaled any other quarterback. However, the downswing during the middle of his career places him further down this list. 

4. Terrell Davis

DAVID ZALUBOWSKI/Associated Press

Running Back, Denver Broncos (1995-2001)

Hall of Fame discussions often become heated because those selected can be somewhat subjective in nature. Terrell Davis became the shining example in recent years.

Many argued he didn't warrant a bust in Canton since he played only seven seasons and had just four years of elite production. Another argument is often used to determine a player's Hall of Fame worthiness, though: Was he the best player at his respective position during his career? If the game's story can't be told without him, he's a Hall of Fame-caliber player. 

Davis ran roughshod over the league as the Denver Broncos' lead back from 1995 to 1998. The running back amassed 6,413 yards, including a 2,008-yard campaign in 1998. During that stretch, Davis earned three Pro Bowl berths, three first-team All-Pro nods and league MVP. 

He performed at an even higher level during the playoffs. In eight postseason contests, Davis racked up 1,140 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on his way to a pair of championships and a Super Bowl MVP. 

In 1999, Davis suffered a torn ACL and MCL in his right knee and never fully recovered. A stress reaction in his left leg during the following campaign only added to his struggles. Davis' legs gave out on him, and he managed a paltry 1,194 combined rushing yards during his final three seasons. 

His first four seasons rank among the very best in league history, though. Only Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson ran for more yards over their first four years. No running back had more touchdowns than Davis' 56 to start their career. 

"I think the selection committee, they're looking at impact alone and saying, 'Hey, when this guy was healthy, when he was playing, what did he do?'" Davis said, per Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams. "I think that's really the only criteria is just evaluating somebody for the work that they've done and not something they thought, 'Was it long enough?' Well, I think seven, eight years is a pretty long time to play in the National Football League."

Greatness isn't established over a certain amount of time. Gale Sayers only played for a short period, yet no one challenges his Hall of Fame credentials. The same applies to Davis. 

3. Jason Taylor

Hans Deryk/Associated Press

Defensive End, Miami Dolphins (1997-2007, 2009 & 2011); Washington Redskins (2008); New York Jets (2010)

A player's statistics are referenced ad nauseam when it comes to his Hall of Fame resume. Sometimes, an opponent's view provides the proper perspective regarding an individual's greatness. 

Jason Taylor terrorized quarterbacks for 15 seasons. He spent all but one of those years playing in the AFC East. 

"The word I typically used to describe Jason was tenacious," New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady wrote in an endorsement letter to Hall of Fame voters, per the Miami Herald's Armando Salguero. "His effort was second to none. Regardless of the situation, Jason came after me with the same reckless abandon on each and every snap, getting to his target often. I remember hearing once that he sacked me more than any other quarterback in the NFL, a painful badge of honor for myself. Jason was incredible against the run as well and never took a play off."

For posterity's sake, Taylor sacked Brady 11.5 times, per Salguero. He finished his career with 139.5 sacks, which currently ranks seventh overall in NFL history. 

Brady alluded to something that made Taylor truly special. At 6'6" and 255 pounds, the Akron product played both football and basketball in college. His long and lithe frame didn't fit typical defensive end standards. Edge defenders were supposed to be bigger and stronger. Yet opponents had to account for Taylor at all times. 

"I coached more games against Jason Taylor than any other player in my career and I'm sure he was probably the one who ruined the most games," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said, per Salguero. "Jason was a relentless competitor and a true game-changer for how he disrupted our offense and forced us to game plan for him. He was a remarkable player."

The six-time Pro Bowler didn't experience much postseason success, but he walked away from the game as the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, the 2007 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year and one of the game's most feared pass-rushers.

Everyone who played against Taylor knew exactly how good he was. 

2. LaDainian Tomlinson

Chris Park/Associated Press

Running Back, San Diego Chargers (2001-09); New York Jets (2010-11)

Jim Brown still serves as the pinnacle of football greatness. His 12,312 career rushing yards have become a milestone for the NFL's best backs. 

Nine runners have since surpassed the GOAT's rushing total. LaDainian Tomlinson is among this elite group, with only four above him. However, the five-time Pro Bowler is without an equal in many ways. 

"LaDainian was the best pure running back I've ever been around," former Chargers head coach Marty Schottenheimer told the team's website (via ESPN.com's Eric D. Williams). "And I was around Marcus Allen and Christian Okoye, guys like that. It was really a treat to be involved with him. I told him from the start that he had it all and we were going to ride him."

Tomlinson was a silky smooth runner with a slashing running style. Defenders struggled to line him up to dole out a clean hit. When they did, Tomlinson wouldn't shy away from contact. The three-time first-team All-Pro didn't have great size at 215 pounds, but he could run through tacklers. He was durable, too. Tomlinson missed just three games during his nine seasons in San Diego. 

Tomlinson's abilities as a runner only comprised part of his all-around skill set. 

Few running backs have been as good out of the backfield as a receiver. Tomlinson caught 624 career passes, including a 100-reception season in 2003. No running back among the top-10 all-time rushers came within 108 catches of Tomlinson's pass-game production. 

No back since Allen had a better nose for the end zone. Tomlinson ranks third all time with 162 rushing and receiving touchdowns. His 2006 MVP campaign still stands alone as the best in NFL history, as he found the end zone 31 times to set the high-water mark for a single season. 

Brown may still be considered the best ever. Emmitt Smith may hold the league's all-time rushing mark. And Walter Payton may be the back everyone wanted to emulate. But Tomlinson proved to be their equal during his illustrious 11-year career. 

1. Jerry Jones

Gus Ruelas/Associated Press

Owner, Dallas Cowboys (1989-current)

Jerry Jones is the most influential owner in the NFL, if not all of sports.

Jones originally bought the Cowboys for $140 million. As the story goes, Jones woke up with a hangover one morning and read "Bum Bright to Sell the Dallas Cowboys", per ESPN.com's Don Van Natta Jr. He called the team's offices and said he'd be coming straight back to Dallas to buy the team.

He did. 

The organization is now valued at $4.2 billion, per Forbes, which ranked it as the world's most valuable sports team. 

On the field, Jones, who also serves as general manager, built a 243-205 record through 28 seasons with 10 division titles and three Super Bowl victories in 1992, '93 and '95. His teams featured the NFL's all-time leading rusher in Emmitt Smith and Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman, and the Cowboys became known for making big deals to bring in the biggest stars. 

He also built the most palatial stadium in sports. The $1.3 billion AT&T Stadium serves as a multipurpose event center and the pinnacle for high-profile football contests. 

The Cowboys owner now serves as one of the league's guiding hands. The 74-year-old University of Arkansas graduate helped negotiate the original deal that allowed Fox to broadcast NFC games. He played a major role during the last round of collective bargaining negotiations. He even forged the path back to Los Angeles with the Rams' move. 

Owners hold an unfair advantage over players in regard to influence on the NFL largely due to longevity.

"My most important thing is I don't think I've worked a day since I bought the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said last month during a conference call held by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, per FanRag Sports' Bill Williamson. "It has absolutely been a labor of love every morning, and I've [never] been more excited about the future, the future of the league, the future of the Cowboys, my future. I'm more excited today than I was maybe in '89 when I became involved."

Jones is part entrepreneur and part entertainer. He's adored or hated by millions. At the heart of it, he's still a football guy who never wanted anything more than to own and run the Cowboys.

While Jones never played a down of NFL football, few people have been more influential to the sport.