4 Players Who Deserve To Enter The NFL Hall Of Fame In 2022
In any pro football player’s career, certain accolades will always stand out as the pinnacles to determine their true legacy in the sport. One is to win a Super Bowl ring. If they can win more than one even better then. Another is to make it to the Pro-Bowl and be a consistent player always making the top of the all-defense or all-offense teams in however many seasons they play. And last but not least, but certainly the one that matters the most to fans and NFL stats experts, making it to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Being able to wear the HOF gold jacket is a prize as important for pro football athletes as any of the others mentioned above, and most of the time, while winning a Super Bowl is a feeling that nobody can take away, being inducted into the most exclusive football club in the world, where all of the best to ever play the game is at, is something that can’t be beat.
Today, given that the Pro Football Hall of Fame presented its list for the 26 semi-finalists for a spot in next year’s Hall of Fame class, we bring you our picks of the four players we feel should get their nod and join the rest of football heroes in Canton, Ohio.
Steve Smith Sr., WR Carolina Panthers, and Baltimore Ravens
I’ve always been a fan of those old-school wide receivers that were all about getting into their defenders faces, telling them which routes they were going to run, and just taunt them until they’re left wondering what had just happened to them. That, in a nutshell, was former Panthers and Ravens WR Steve Smith Sr. Smith was the literal interpretation of what a beat-down, locked down receiver was in the league, holding the eighth spot in the list for most receiving yards in the league history.
Now, while there are other receivers on the list and there are others such as Calvin “Megatron” Johnson who got his jacket last year, even with having fewer receiving yards all-time than Smith, there is no question in my mind that if there’s a man who deserves his gold jacket and his spot in Canton it’s Steve Smith Sr.
Patrick Willis, LB, San Francisco 49ers
Patrick Willis only needed 8 years, 8 seasons to make his presence felt all around the league and be considered one of the toughest and strongest linebackers to play the game. Having played his whole life for the San Francisco 49ers, Willis was a beast for the Niners’ defense. You don’t believe the hype around Willis? Well, let me remind you of a couple of stats that might make you see Patrick Willis with different eyes.
Willis was defensive rookie of the year in his first season, he was a five-time All-Pro team member and one-time Second-Pro team member, he went to seven pro bowls in his 8-year career, he’s part of the NFL’s decade team for 2010, and the list goes on. So, Patrick Willis, to the Hall of fame, ASAP!
DeMarcus Ware, OLB, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos
From 2005 to 2016, if there was ever a player that quarterbacks and opposing offenses hated to face, it was former outside linebacker for the Cowboys and Broncos, DeMarcus Lawrence. His 138.5 career sacks and 654 tackles might give you a clue of why Ware was touted as one of the absolute best defenders to play in the league in the mid-2000s. Ware made it to nine Pro-Bowls, he was a four-time All-Pro team member, 3-time Second-Pro team member, led the league in sacks in two seasons, and he was one of the most important pieces in Denver’s win in Super Bowl 50 where he and Von Miller wreaked havoc on the Carolina Panthers. I think those accolades can do the trick to get someone into the hall of fame, right?
Devin Hester, WR/ST Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks
There is no punt or kick return specialist better in the history of the league than Devin Hester. There, I said it, I think we can all agree on it, so let’s just get this over with and get Hester his gold jacket. Ok, if that alone helped, believe me, there would be some more players being put on this list, but for now, let’s focus on Hester. I think there’s a lot to be said about a player whose opponents would create special tactics for stopping him, all while playing as a return specialist. But against Devin Hester, you never knew how to stop him.
If the Bears hadn’t run into such bad luck against the Colts in Super Bowl XLI, he would’ve been one of the players who truly could’ve bragged that he earned his title ring. But still, even without winning, just go back and watch his first play, which is also the first play in that Super Bowl. That kick return that ended up being a touchdown on the first ball of the game is still to this day one of the most exciting plays to ever happen in the NFL’s biggest game.
