Troy Polamalu, Edgerrin James Highlight 2020 Pro Football HOF Finalists

The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its 15 modern-era finalists for the class of 2020 on Thursday, with former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and ex-Indianapolis Colts running back Edgerrin James among an illustrious group of candidates.

Four safeties, three wideouts, three offensive linemen, two linebackers, two defensive linemen and one running back make up the 15 names, of which five will be chosen for the Hall.

Pro Football Hall of Fame Finalists

S Troy Polamalu

RB Edgerrin James

LB Zach Thomas

DT Bryant Young

DL Richard Seymour

FS John Lynch

S Steve Atwater

S LeRoy Butler

WR Reggie Wayne

WR Torry Holt

WR Isaac Bruce

LB Sam Mills

T Tony Boselli

G Alan Faneca

G Steve Hutchinson

S Troy Polamalu

A 12-year pro, Polamalu played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, winning three AFC championships and two Super Bowls. He amassed 32 interceptions, including three for touchdowns.

The hard-hitting, ball-hawking safety was an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro. He also won the 2010 Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year award.

RB Edgerrin James

James only needed one year to announce his presence in the NFL by rushing for a league-high 1,553 yards in his first season with the Indianapolis Colts. He followed that with 1,709 more NFL-pacing yards in 2000.

James was a key cog in a dominant Colts offense for much of 1999 through 2005. He made four Pro Bowls for Indianapolis and was a one-time All-Pro. He finished his career with 15,610 yards from scrimmage and 91 touchdowns.

LB Zach Thomas

The tackling machine known as linebacker Zach Thomas averaged 143.5 tackles from 1996 to 2006 for the Miami Dolphins, including an NFL-high 165 in 2006.

The seven-time Pro Bowler and five-time All-Pro played for Miami from 1996 to 2007 before one final season with the Dallas Cowboys. Thomas missed just 12 games from 1996 to 2006.

DT Bryant Young

The fantastic San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman played all 14 of his seasons in red and gold, starting all 208 games and racking up 89.5 sacks.

The four-time Pro Bowler played a pivotal role in the 49ers' Super Bowl win during his 1994 rookie season, making 16 starts and accumulating six sacks and 49 tackles.

DL Richard Seymour

A key member of the early part of the New England Patriots' two-decade dynasty is a Hall of Fame finalist.

Defensive lineman Richard Seymour played for the Pats from 2001 to 2008, winning three Super Bowls and nearly grabbing a fourth in 2007. He made seven Pro Bowls and earned three All-Pro nods.

Seymour played for the Oakland Raiders from 2009 to 2012 to round out his career. He finished with 57.5 sacks.

FS John Lynch

One of the key members of the dominant 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense played 15 NFL seasons, making nine Pro Bowls and amassing 103 or more tackles three times.

The current architect of the 13-3 San Francisco 49ers started 15 games for the 2002 Bucs, who allowed just 196 points and won the Super Bowl 48-21 against the Oakland Raiders. After 11 years in Tampa, Lynch finished his career with four seasons in Denver.

S Steve Atwater

The eight-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro helped the Denver Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. He missed only five games from 1989 to 1998 and amassed 173 tackles in 1990 alone.

He finished his career with 1,180 tackles (six seasons of 103 or more) and 24 interceptions.

S LeRoy Butler

The man known as the inventor of the Lambeau Leap was also a pretty good football player.

LeRoy Butler suited up for the Green Bay Packers from 1990 to 2001 and had 38 interceptions and 20.5 sacks.

The four-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro had five picks for the 1996 Green Bay Packers, who finished first in scoring offense and defense en route to a Super Bowl XXXI win.

Butler started all 96 games for the Pack from 1995 to 2000.

WR Reggie Wayne

One of quarterback Peyton Manning's favorite targets made his way onto the finalist list in his first year of eligibility.

A six-time Pro Bowler, Reggie Wayne played all 14 of his seasons in Indianapolis, with Manning calling signals for 10 of them. Wayne had seven 1,000-yard seasons from 2004 to 2010 in addition to a 106-catch, 1,355-yard campaign with rookie Andrew Luck in 2012.

Wayne was an instrumental part in the Colts' Super Bowl XLI win in 2006, as he and Marvin Harrison formed the league's deadliest one-two punch at wide receiver.

WR Torry Holt

Torry Holt's 11-year NFL career included two seasons as the NFL's league leader in receiving yards and one as a leader in receptions.

He finished with 920 catches, 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns during a career that began with a Super Bowl XXXIV title with the 1999 St. Louis Rams, who scored 526 points en route to a Lombardi Trophy.

Holt made seven Pro Bowls from 1999 to 2009.

WR Isaac Bruce

Another one of the stars of the St. Louis Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" is also a well-deserved Hall of Fame Finalist.

Wideout Isaac Bruce, who caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XXXIV, snatched 1,024 passes for 15,208 yards and 91 touchdowns during a 16-year career with the Rams and San Francisco 49ers. He made four Pro Bowls and led the NFL with 1,338 receiving yards in 1996.

LB Sam Mills

The man known for the Carolina Panthers' "Keep Pounding" mantra doubles as one of the NFL's greatest success stories.

The undrafted linebacker out of Montclair State bounced around the CFL and USFL in the early to mid-1980s before finding his way onto the New Orleans Saints roster in 1986. Once there, he enjoyed a fantastic 12-year career that included five Pro Bowls and one All-Pro nod.

Mills finished his career with the Carolina Panthers and helped the expansion franchise go from 7-9 in 1995 to 12-4 and an NFC Championship Game appearance. He had 122 tackles for that team at age 37.

Mills died of intestinal cancer at age 45 in 2005.

T Tony Boselli

The superstar left tackle only played seven seasons but made a big impact in a limited time for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Boselli was the expansion Jags' first-ever draft pick in 1995 and helped guide the team to a 9-7 record and AFC Championship in its second year of existence. The Jags had a top-eight scoring offense from 1997 through 2000.

G Alan Faneca

The nine-time Pro Bowler and six-time All-Pro helped open lanes for running backs Jerome Bettis and LaDainian Tomlinson during a 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals.

Faneca also helped protect quarterback Ben Roethlisberger en route to Pittsburgh's Super Bowl XL win in 2005.

G Steve Hutchinson

One of the best run-blockers in NFL history paved the way for superstar running backs Shaun Alexander and Adrian Peterson during a 12-year career with the Seattle Seahawks, Minnesota Vikings and Tennessee Titans that ended with seven Pro Bowls and five All-Pro nods.

Alexander ran for 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns during the Hawks' 2005 NFC championship season, and Peterson rushed for an NFL-leading 1,760 yards in 2008.