Pro Football Hall of Fame 2018: Date, Start Time, TV Info and More

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will get a new class entering Saturday night, and selectors will have a difficult choice as they attempt to whittle the 15 finalists down to five players who will be voted on for entry into the Canton, Ohio, shrine.

The Hall of Fame voters, consisting of veteran NFL writers from cities across the 32-team league, will consider the cases of each individual in what is normally an intense and informative session during the day, and the announcement will be made that night on NBC's Pro Football Honors television show, a two-hour event that commences at 8 p.m. ET.

The list of 15 finalists includes the following players:

Ray Lewis, LB

Brian Urlacher, LB

Edgerrin James, RB

Randy Moss, WR

​Terrell Owens, WR

Isaac Bruce, WR

John Lynch, S

Brian Dawkins, S

Everson Walls, DB

Ty Law, CB

Tony Boselli, OT

Kevin Mawae, C

Joe Jacoby, OT

Steve Hutchinson, OG

Alen Faneca, OG

Players must receive 80 percent of the vote in order to gain entry into the Hall of Fame. Players are eligible for entry for a 20-year period, and those who do not gain entry in that time frame become senior finalists.

This year, Green Bay Packers guard Jerry Kramer and Houston Oilers linebacker Robert Brazile are the senior finalists, while contributor finalist Bobby Beathard will also be considered.

Lewis, Urlacher, Moss and Hutchinson are first-year candidates, and it's usually a major challenge for first-time players to gain entry.

While Lewis, Urlacher and Moss are high-profile names, it may be difficult for those players to survive the process this year. The 15 finalists will be cut down to 10 and then five before the final votes are taken.

Veteran sportswriter and HOF voter Frank Cooney of The Sports Xchange said he would be voting for Moss and Owens for entry, but he also acknowledged he was not always impressed by everything he saw from Moss on the field.

This included a tendency to stand around on the field when he was not involved in the play, and a famous quote he gave to veteran Minneapolis sportswriter Sid Hartman: "I play when I want to play." 

Lewis should have an excellent chance of earning entry into the Hall of Fame. He played middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 through 2012, and he was the 2000 and 2003 Defensive Player of the Year. He won the MVP award in the 2000 Super Bowl, made 13 Pro Bowls and was named as a first-team All-Pro player seven times.

Moss played for the Vikings from 1998 through 2004 and 2010, the Oakland Raiders from 2005 through 2006, the New England Patriots from 2007 through 2010, the Tennessee Titans in 2010, and the San Francisco 49ers in 2012.

Moss was the 1998 Offensive Rookie of the Year, made six Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro player four times.

Urlacher was the mainstay for the Chicago Bears defense from 2000 through 2012. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000, the Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, made eight Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro four times.

Hutchinson played for the Seattle Seahawks from 2001 through 2005, the Minnesota Vikings from 2006 through 2011 and the Tennessee Titans in 2012. He was a seven-time Pro Bowler and earned first-team All-Pro honors five times.