Eagles Legends Lane Johnson, Brian Westbrook Join Select Group in Senior Bowl Hall of Fame

The Senior Bowl Hall of Fame began in 1988, and to find players who made their mark with the Philadelphia Eagles requires plenty of squinting.

That will change with this year’s class, as Brian Westbrook and Lane Johnson will be enshrined together, along with three others at the annual induction ceremony which will take place at the Grand Hotel Golf Club & Spa in Point Clear, Ala., on June 25. The event will be emceed by NFL Network host Rhett Lewis.

Joining Westbrook and Johnson in this year’s class are Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews, Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson, and Baltimore Ravens linebacker Marshal Yanda.

“We are thrilled to be adding such an accomplished group of players to the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame,” said Reese’s Senior Bowl Executive Director Jim Nagy. “These men were among the best of the best coming out of college and they all went on to have incredible pro careers. Each one of them was among the greatest players at their respective positions and we are grateful their NFL journeys began here in Mobile.”

Lane Johnson’s career continues. And if the right tackle keeps playing at the level he's been playing at since being the fourth overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, another Hall of Fame might come calling from Canton.

“It is an honor to join the Senior Bowl Hall Fame,” Johnson said in a statement released by the Senior Bowl. “I still have the Most Outstanding Lineman award (during his week at the Senior Bowl prior to the 2013 draft) on my mantle and think about what a week it was in Mobile! It truly has come full circle now.

“The Senior Bowl is where I started to rise up draft boards to eventually becoming the No. 4 overall pick. The week down there really springboarded my career after only playing for two years at Oklahoma. I was able to showcase my ability against the best of the best the entire week. I am excited to celebrate what the Senior Bowl really means with the other inductees in this amazing class.”

Johnson was named to his second Associated Press All-Pro team this past season. He also received that honor in 2017 when he helped the Eagles beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII. He has been named to four Pro Bowls and set an NFL record last Dec. 11 after not allowing a sack in 26 straight games.

Westbrook never got a chance to run behind Johnson, but he was successful nonetheless.

The Eagles drafted him 91st overall in 2002 and he spent eight seasons with the Eagles before a final season with the San Francisco 49ers.

He appeared in 121 games with 90 starts and played in 11 playoff games with two 100-yard rushing outings in the 2006 postseason.

Westbrook was named to his first AP All-Pro team after the 2007 season when he led the NFL with 2,014 total yards from scrimmage. He ended his career with 19 100-yard rushing games and four 100-yard receiving games and was inducted into the Eagles’ Hall of Fame in 2015.

"When I received the news of being selected to the Senior Bowl it meant the world to me,” Westbrook said in a release. “It gave me the opportunity to compete against the best players in the country and a chance to prove myself. I truly believe the week in Mobile gave me the confidence that I could have an impact in the NFL."

The last Eagle to make the Senior Bowl Hall of Fame was quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2012.

Only two others who are associated with the Eagles are enshrined: Terrell Owens (2010) and Ron Jaworski (2001).

Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter on @kracze.