Q: Who are your five modern-era picks for the Hall’s Class of 2024?
THE JURY
KEN CRIPPEN, founder and lead instructor, The Football Learning Academy.
1. Julius Peppers. He had the longevity to play 266 games and racked up 159-1/2 sacks in his 17-year career. But, he had the skills to be disruptive on the field. Forcing and recovering fumbles in the offensive backfield, as well as having the speed to drop into coverage made him a special threat on defense.
2. Darren Woodson. At the time of his retirement, Woodson was the Cowboys’ all-time leading tackler and helped the team win three Super Bowl championships. His flexibility made him special. He could line up in different spots in the defensive formations and be successful.
3. Andre Johnson. The wide-receiver logjam needs to be broken. Johnson earned seven Pro Bowl nods over a 12-year career. He also holds franchise records in multiple categories and has more All-Pro berths than the other wide receivers on the ballot. He also produced without being surrounded by Hall of Famers, like the other receivers.
4. Jahri Evans. Offensive linemen need love, too, and they often don’t get it from the selection committee. No flashy stats like running backs and quarterbacks but essential to the offense. With six Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl championship and all-decade team of the 2010s’ honors, Evans was an anchor on that Saints’ offensive line.
5. Antonio Gates. Eight-time Pro Bowler and all-decade team of the 2000s, he has the most receiving touchdowns of all tight ends at the time of his retirement. But, past his offensive accolades, he was an excellent blocker who aided the running game.
UPTON BELL, former NFL executive and son of former NFL commissioner Bert Bell.
1. Antonio Gates. A former basketball player turned tight end. He was one of the best combinations I’ve ever seen. Caught 116 TDs.
2. Dwight Freeney. A pure pass rusher. Reminds me of Deacon Jones with his quickness. 126-1/2 career sacks.
3. Devin Hester. Mr. Electricity! I was on the edge of my seat every time he touched the ball. In a league that has essentially erased the kickoff return, Hester was the greatest in history.
4. Julius Peppers. A terror against the run and pass. Was named to two all-decade teams.
5. Patrick Willis. Seven time Pro Bowler. Five-team All-Pro. A short but great career.
JOHN TURNEY, football historian, Pro Football Journal, and co-host, Talk of Fame Two.
I think the players with the best chances are ….
1. Julius Peppers -- who is in the upper echelon among defensive ends in longevity, sacks and Pro Bowls – should make the Hall in his first year of eligibility.
2. Tight end Antonio Gates should also be a first-ballot selection. He caught more touchdown passes than any of the three wide receivers in the Final 15.
3. Of the three wide receivers, I think Andre Johnson jumps to the front of the queue. He was just different physically and was harder for defenses for defenses to find an answer for. He made it to the final 10 last year, surviving the first cut.
4. Patrick Willis, the 49ers’ linebacker, was a first-team All-Pro more than any of the finalists despite having his career cut short by injury.
5. The final slot is the toughest. Will it be a second wide receiver … Holt or Wayne? Like Johnson, both were in last year’s Top 10, surviving the cut from 15. A second pass rusher? Jared Allen was in the final 10, too. But I will go with a sleeper: Right tackle Willie Anderson. There has been an emphasis lately on looking at blockers and tackles, and Anderson has been the blocker most talked about in recent years.
GEORGE BOZEKAS, president, Pro Football Researchers Association.
1. Julius Peppers – Nine-time Pro Bowl defensive end with 159.5 career sacks (fourth all time); 10 seasons with 10 or more sacks; member of the NFL all-decade teams of the 2000s and 2010s.
2. Antonio Gates – Eight-time Pro Bowl tight end; member of the NFL all-decade team of the 2000s; 955 receptions for 11,841 yards and 116 touchdowns )most all-time among TEs).
3. Devin Hester – Possibly the NFL’s greatest return specialist ever; with Billy “White Shoes Johnson, one of two return specialists on the NFL’s 100th anniversary team; member of the NFL all-decade teams of the 2000s and 2010s; four-time Pro Bowler who returned 14 punts (NFL record), five kickoffs and one missed field goal for touchdowns during his career (20 TDs, also an NFL record).
4. Torry Holt – Part of the Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf;” seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver with 920 receptions for 13,382 yards and 74 touchdowns; member of the NFL 2000s’ all-decade team; outstanding performance in the Rams’ 23-16 Super Bowl XXXIV victory over the Titans with seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
5. Patrick Willis – Seven-time Pro Bowl and five-time first-team All-Pro linebacker in just eight NFL seasons; all-decade team of the 2010s.
THE VERDICT
As you might expect, Julius Peppers and Antonio Gates are the only unanimous choices … and for good reason: Both are expected to be first-ballot cinches.
But then what?
Well, then, the jury deviated slightly from my Top Five. I won’t tell whom I favor because I reserve that Wednesday's board of selectors' meeting. Instead, I look at the remaining three and see logical decisions. Linebacker Patrick Willis had three of four votes, while Devin Hester and Andre Johnson tied for fourth with two apiece.
Curiously, nobody chose defensive end Jared Allen, the only non-wide receiver to return from the Class of 2023’s Top 10.
Look, we know at least one wide receiver will be chosen. There was such strong sentiment last year for breaking the logjam at the position that enshrining one now is all but certain … and two is a possibility. Johnson was our jury’s pick, and I can see that happening. Then again, after what I heard last January, I can see any of the three wide outs happening.
Then there’s Hester, and maybe this is his year. He slipped last year, failing to make the Top 10 a year after he was one of its finalists. That’s not good. However, this class is not particularly strong, so there’s plenty of room for upward mobility. And Hester could have it.
So there you have it. Peppers, Gates, Willis, Johnson and Hester. Normally, I might overrule, but not here. I have a platform Wednesday when the Hall’s board of selectors meet. This was our jury’s call. And it made it.
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