The Pro Football Hall of Fame released its list of 26 semifinalists for the Hall’s Class of 2022 and among those on the list is a pair of Patriots who combined to win five Super Bowls with the team.
Defensive end Richard Seymour was a finalist in 2021 and among a few of the favorites to get his gold jacket next August. The newest member of the Patriots Hall of Fame, Seymour was drafted by the Patriots sixth overall during the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent eight years with the Patriots where he won three Super Bowls, was a three-time All-Pro, and a five-time Pro Bowler. He is also a member of the Hall of Fame All-2000s team. The former Bulldog spent the final four years of his career in Oakland with the Raiders where he earned two more Pro Bowl nods before retiring following the 2012 season.
Vince Wilfork makes his first appearance during his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility. The former Miami Hurricane was drafted 21st overall by the Patriots during the 2004 NFL Draft. Like Seymour, he won a Super Bowl his first year in the league. He was a part of three more Patriot Super Bowl runs in 2007, 2011, and 2014. The Patriots won the Super Bowl in 2014, marking the first time they had done that since Wilfork’s rookie season. Coincidentally, it was also Wilfork’s final year with the team as he played the final two years of his career with the Houston Texans. In addition to his two Super Bowl rings, Wilfork is a five-time Pro Bowler and was named an All-Pro following the 2012 season.
Seymour and Wilfork are both looking to join Ty Law as the first members of the early part of the Patriots dynasty to enter the Hall.
The list will be narrowed down to 15 names in January before a class is announced soon thereafter.
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