Projecting three future Hall of Famers for the Minnesota Vikings

With less than a month until the annual event in Canton, Ohio, we're examining which players — past and present — on the league's 32 teams we think will one day receive a similar honor. 

Here are three Minnesota Vikings who should eventually receive football immortality: 

Defensive end Jared Allen 

Allen played for four NFL teams over a 12-year career but really came into his own during six seasons with the Vikings. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro, he also made an intriguing Hall of Fame argument with his play overall.

Once Allen finally hung up his cleats following the 2015 campaign, he'd amassed 503 solo tackles and 136 career sacks, which ranks 12th all-time. Only five other players in NFL history have recorded those numbers — Terrell Suggs and Hall of Famers Julius Peppers, Michael Strahan, Jason Taylor and DeMarcus Ware.

An effective and consistent edge-rusher, Allen terrorized quarterbacks and running backs alike for over a decade. He not only led the league in sacks twice (2007, 2011) but ranks sixth in tackles for loss (171). 

Defensive end Jim Marshall

Unfortunately, Marshall is best known for his botched fumble recovery in 1964 against the San Francisco 49ers, which he returned the wrong way for safety. Still, one play shouldn't sum up a career, especially in the case of the former Vikings pass-rusher.

Sacks didn't become an official NFL stat until 1982, but Marshall's unofficial total of 130.5 puts him among the league's elite. Only 21 players have posted more, 16 of whom are already in the Hall of Fame.

Marshall was also remarkably consistent. He posted five or more sacks 13 times and led the league in sacks five times (1962, 1963, 1964, 1968, 1969). Meanwhile, he started 277 games over a 20-year career, the sixth-most ever. 

Defensive tackle Kevin Williams 

A brick wall along the Vikings defensive line for over a decade, Williams' accolades tell a story that should ultimately end in Canton.

Williams ranks 128th all-time with 63 sacks, but his pension for stopping the run added an extra layer to an already-solid skill set. He's one of only eight defensive tackles to earn at least six Pro Bowl nods and five or more All-Pro bids over their career. The list includes Canton-bound Aaron Donald and Hall of Famers Merlin Olsen, Warren Sapp, John Randle, Joe Greene, Alan Page, Randy White and Bob Lilly.

Per Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame monitor, Williams has the ninth-highest score (105.03) among defensive tackles. The number is calculated by approximate value, essentially examining a player's production from their peak onward while considering All-Decade, All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections with bonus points awarded for statistics like sacks.