One of the league's all-time sack leaders, one of the league's all-time receiving leaders, and one of the league's all-time special teams greats are three players who are in their first year of eligibility who are finalist for the Pro Football Hall of
The 15 finalist are defensive end/outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, wide receiver and returner Andre Johnson, and wide receiver/returner Devin Hester. Three of the players in the final are in their first year of eligibility, the third time in the past five years.
Next month, the Hall will choose five of the final five for the Class of 2022. The Class of 2022 will be in Canton, Ohio, in August, but specific dates have not been announced.
Branch was chosen as a seniors finalist, while Dick Vermeil was chosen as the coach finalist and Art McNally was chosen as the contributors finalist.
The three first-year eligible players were selected to a combined 20 Pro Bowls, and Hester retired as the all-time leader in special teams touchdown with four. They are joined by tackle Willie Anderson, receiver Torry Holt, defensive end/tackle Richard Seymour, defensive end/tackle Sam Mills, wide receiver Reggie Wayne, and defensive end Patrick Willis.
If Ware, Johnson or Hester are selected for the Hall of Fame, it would be the ninth year in a row that at least one player in the first year of eligibility has been in the Hall. The Class of 2022 will be revealed during the show.
Ware was a nine-time Pro Bowl selection in his career with the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. He was a starter on the Broncos' Super Bowl 50 winner and was ninth all-time in sacks with 138.6.
Johnson, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection for the Houston Texans, leads the league twice in receiving yards as he is 11th all-time in both reception and receiving yards. Hester, who starred for the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons, is a rare finalist whose career was built on special teams excellence. He was an All Decade player for two years.
This year's group has the most players in it, with Seymour and Boselli being the only two players who have been a finalist for a fourth time. They are all finalist for the third time. If Mills isn't selected for the hall of fame, he will go into the seniors pool next year as a modern-era candidate.
Only one player from the All Decade team of the 1990s who has not been in the Hall of Fame is a first-team selection. Steve Atwater, who was named to Hall's Class of 2020, was the only other All-Decade first-teamer who hadn't been inducted before.
