The NFL has announced the modern era nominees for the Hall of Fame Class of 2020. It was also announced that, in honor of the NFL’s 100th season, there will be a special Centennial Class enshrined in Canton this year in addition to the five normal selections.
First, let’s take a look at the list of nominees.
Quarterbacks
Randall Cunningham, Jake Delhomme, Boomer Esiason, Jeff Garcia, Jeff Hostetler, Dave Krieg, Donovan McNabb
Running Backs/Full Backs
Shaun Alexander, Mike Alstott, Tiki Barber, Earnest Byner, Larry Centers, Corey Dillon, Eddie George, Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Daryl Johnston, Thomas Jones, Maurice Jones-Drew, Eric Metcalf, Lorenzo Neal, Clinton Portis, Fred Taylor, Herschel Walker, Chris Warren, Ricky Watters
Wide Receivers
Isaac Bruce, Gary Clark, Donald Driver, Henry Ellard, Torry Holt, Chad Johnson, Derrick Mason, Muhsin Muhammad, Jimmy Smith, Rod Smith, Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne
Tight Ends
Dallas Clark, Ben Coates, Keith Jackson, Brent Jones, Jeremy Shockey, Wesley Walls
Offensive Linemen
Willie Anderson, Matt Birk, Tony Boselli, Lomas Brown, Ray Donaldson, Alan Faneca, Kevin Gogan, Jordan Gross, Chris Hinton, Kent Hull, Steve Hutchinson, Lincoln Kennedy, Olin Kreutz, Chris Samuels, Jeff Saturday, Brian Waters, Richmond Webb, Erik Williams, Steve Wisniewski
Defensive Linemen
John Abraham, La’Roi Glover, Casey Hampton, Chester McGlockton, Leslie O’Neal, Simeon Rice, Richard Seymour, Justin Smith, Neil Smith, Greg Townsend, Bryant Young
Linebackers
Carl Banks, Cornelius Bennett, Lance Briggs, Tedy Bruschi, James Farrior, London Fletcher, Seth Joyner, Wilber Marshall, Clay Matthews, Jr., Willie McGinest, Sam Mills, Chris Spielman, Takeo Spikes, Darryl Talley, Zach Thomas, Jessie Tuggle, Patrick Willis
Defensive Backs
Eric Allen, Steve Atwater, Ronde Barber, LeRoy Butler,
Nick Collins, Merton Hanks, Rodney Harrison, Albert Lewis, John Lynch, Terry McDaniel, Tim McDonald, Troy Polamalu, Bob Sanders,
Troy Vincent, Darren Woodson
Punters/Kickers
David Akers, Gary Anderson, Jason Elam, Jeff Feagles,
Jason Hanson, Sean Landeta, Ryan Longwell, Nick Lowery, Reggie Roby, Rohn Stark, Matt Turk
Special Teams
Johnny Bailey, Josh Cribbs, Mel Gray, Brian Mitchell, Steve Tasker
Now, here are my 20 picks out of the group.
Without a Doubt
Troy Polamalu
Possibly the biggest game-changer on the list, Polamalu has 12 seasons, eight Pro Bowl selections, and 32 career interceptions under his belt.
Isaac Bruce and Tory Holt
These guys were key components to the greatest show on turf. Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, and Orlando Pace are already in Canton. These two should be right beside them.
Chad Johnson
Johnson has 10 seasons, six Pro Bowls, and over 11,000 career receiving yards to his name.
Hines Ward
Ward, a two-time Super Bowl champion and four-time Pro Bowler, had over 12,000 career receiving yards.
Reggie Wayne
Peyton Manning’s second favorite target behind Marvin Harrison and Andrew Luck’s favorite, Wayne was selected to the Pro Bowl six times.
Clay Matthews, Jr.
Matthews played 16 seasons for the Browns, including 11 playoff games. A versatile linebacker, Matthews was voted to the Pro Bowl four times.
Deserving
Carl Banks
Banks was a key component on the Giants’ defense, but he is not Lawrence Taylor or Harry Carson.
Herschel Walker
How is he not in already?
Gary Anderson
Yes, a kicker, but a great one at that. After nearly two dozen seasons, Anderson finally called it quits when he was 45 years old.
Willie McGinest, Tedy Bruschi, and nRodney Harrison
All three were key exceptional components on multiple Super Bowl Patriots teams.
Zack Thomas
This is a long-time Dolphins linebacker who offenses had to account for on every play.
Daryl Johnston
Johnston blocked for Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and caught key passes at key times from Hall of Famer Troy Aikman
Eddie George
George, in nine seasons, ran for 10,441 yards and 68 touchdowns. He also had seven 1,000-yard seasons.
Lorenzo Neal
Another fullback, I know, but he was your more traditional blocking fullback. He added to the success of Eddie George.
Steve Hutchison
The offensive guard played 11 seasons with Seattle, Minnesota, and Tennessee. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls.
Sentimental picks
Tiki and Ronde Barber
How awesome would it be for the twin brothers to both go into the Hall of Fame at the same time?
One Response
Fred Taylor and MJD should get in. They were a dynamic 1 2 punch.