The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 was inducted on Aug. 2, solidifying themselves among the greatest ever to play the game. Antonio Gates, Jared Allen, Eric Allen, and Sterling Sharpe will now see their respective legacies live on forever in Canton, Ohio.
While this year’s Hall of Fame class was just enshrined, it’s never too early to think about next year’s potential inductees. In addition to this year’s finalists who didn’t make the cut, there will be a brand new batch of eligible players for the 2026 class.
Using the 19 eligible players tweeted out by ESPN’s Adam Schefter back in February, let’s go through and rank each of them by how strong their case is to be first-ballot inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Ranking Notable First-Time Eligible Candidates for Pro Football Hall of Fame
First-time eligibles for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026 include:
🏈Larry Fitzgerald
🏈Drew Brees
🏈Philip Rivers
🏈Jason Witten
🏈Frank Gore
🏈Julian Edelman
🏈Maurkice Pouncey
🏈LeSean McCoy
🏈Thomas Davis
🏈Greg Olsen
🏈Alex Smith
🏈Dez Bryant
🏈Stephen Gostkowski… pic.twitter.com/5n2VjFfoG8— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2025
19) Sean Lee
With Sean Lee having retired five years ago, 2026 marks the first year he’ll be eligible for the Hall of Fame. He was a steady starting linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys, playing there for all 11 years of his NFL career and making two Pro Bowls.
While Lee was excellent at his peak, that peak was cut short due to injuries. He missed the entire 2014 season and 21 games in his last four NFL seasons. He was an outstanding player, but he doesn’t stand out as having a Hall of Fame-caliber resume.
18) Mike Pouncey
Mike Pouncey entered and exited the NFL the same day as his twin brother, Maurkice. Both saw plenty of success in the league, with Mike ending his career with four Pro Bowl appearances at center between his stints with the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers.
Pouncey was a reliable starter for nine years, but retiring at 30 years old hurts his case for the Hall of Fame. He also didn’t have as sustained a peak as his brother, which could generally make it tough for him to become enshrined in Canton.
17) Alex Smith
Alex Smith’s sustained career as a good starting quarterback saw him put up some impressive career numbers. He’s ahead of Hall of Famers like Jim Kelly, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, and Y.A. Tittle in terms of total passing yards. Starting in 167 games will provide plenty of chances to put up numbers.
Unfortunately, Smith was never one of the elite at his position when he played. He was a three-time Pro Bowler and a Comeback Player of the Year, but he never made an All-Pro team and never made a Super Bowl as a starter. He’ll go down as a hypothetical “Hall of Very Good” candidate.
16) Julian Edelman
Given the team success he achieved, Julian Edelman has one of the best postseason resumes of any wide receiver in NFL history. He was a key weapon for three Super Bowl-winning New England Patriots teams and won Super Bowl MVP in 2019. He ranks third all-time in playoff receiving yards and receptions.
Edelman was a quality receiver for Tom Brady, reaching 1,000 receiving yards three times. However, he never made any Pro Bowls or All-Pro teams and was consistently just outside of the conversation of the elite wide receivers of his time. A Hall of Fame induction seems unlikely, at least anytime soon.
15) Jurrell Casey
During his ten-year NFL career, Jurrell Casey was consistently one of the top defensive tackles in the league. He was a five-time Pro Bowler and tallied 51 career sacks as a fixture in the Tennessee Titans’ defense during the 2010s.
While Casey was very good for much of his career, he has just one second-team All-Pro appearance to his name. If inducted into the Hall of Fame, he would be the only defensive tackle without a first-team All-Pro nomination. That, along with playing his final season at 30 years old, hurts his case.
14) David DeCastro
One of the unsung heroes of those dominant Pittsburgh Steelers offenses in the 2010s, David DeCastro was a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro at right guard during his NFL career. He finished his NFL career with Pro Bowl appearances in each of his final six seasons.
Only playing nine years in the NFL hurts DeCastro’s chances of making it to the Hall of Fame. His eight seasons as a starter would be the fewest of any guard currently enshrined in Canton. He had a fantastic career with the Steelers, but an induction into the Hall might be tough to come by.
13) Todd Gurley
Realistically, Todd Gurley doesn’t have the longevity to make it into the Hall of Fame. He played in the NFL for just six seasons, eventually being slowed down due to numerous injuries. The fact that he’s not at the bottom of this list, though, speaks to how good he was at his peak.
Gurley was a three-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He won Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 and Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015, finishing second in league MVP voting in the former year. He led the NFL in rushing touchdowns twice and averaged over 11 rushing touchdowns per year. His career was too brief, but his peak was tremendous.
12) Stephen Gostkowski
As of this writing, there are only two kickers enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While Adam Vinatieri figures to be an inductee eventually, his successor with the New England Patriots, Stephen Gostkowski, becomes eligible for induction in 2026.
Gostkowski is a three-time Super Bowl champion who ranks fifth all-time in extra points made. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and a three-time All-Pro. His career and success over 15 years are impressive. However, the strict selection criteria of kickers into the Hall make his induction unlikely.
11) Thomas Davis
Thomas Davis enters his first year of Canton eligibility with one of the more unique resumes of the bunch. He didn’t make his first Pro Bowl until he was 32 years old, but he was a superstar linebacker for some dominant Carolina Panthers defenses at his best.
From 2015 to 2017, Davis made the Pro Bowl every year and was a first-team All-Pro in 2015. He finished his career with 1,216 total tackles in his 15-year career. Had he sustained a longer peak, a Hall of Fame induction could have been possible. In the end, he lacks the longevity to warrant strong consideration.
10) Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant likely didn’t have a long enough peak to see him selected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For a handful of seasons, though, he was every bit as good as future Hall of Famers like Antonio Brown and Julio Jones.
A three-time Pro Bowler, Bryant surpassed 1,200 receiving yards each year from 2012 to 2014. He led the league with 16 receiving touchdowns in 2014, appearing as a first-team All-Pro that year. Injuries slowed him down past that point, but an eventual Seniors ballot induction could make sense, given how good he was at his best.
9) Greg Olsen
Thanks in part to his strong play over 14 seasons in the NFL, Greg Olsen ranks among the top tight ends in receiving categories. He’s seventh in all-time tight end receptions and receiving yards, as well as ninth in receiving touchdowns. Everyone who ranks ahead of him in the first two categories is either enshrined in Canton or is a shoo-in when eligible.
Olsen was a three-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro who surpassed 1,000 receiving yards three times. He was consistently a great player, but he faced steep competition for Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition in a loaded era of tight ends. That hurts his Hall of Fame chances, but the longevity is there for him to get consideration down the line.
3️⃣1️⃣ DAYS UNTIL THE DRAFT
Greg Olsen was the 31st pick in 2007 and went on to put up 742 catches, 8,683 rec. yards, and 60 TDs 🙌 @gregolsen88 @ChicagoBears @Panthers pic.twitter.com/9ajIfvZelp
— NFL (@NFL) March 24, 2025
8) LeSean McCoy
This is where the list starts to pick up. LeSean McCoy was a member of the HOF All-2010s Team, finishing as a six-time Pro Bowler in his 12 seasons in the NFL. He led the league in rushing yards in 2013 and led in rushing touchdowns in 2011. He has better career numbers than a handful of running backs who have made it into the Hall.
McCoy only has two All-Pro nominations, which could hurt his chances for immediate induction into Canton. That said, he surpassed 1,000 rushing yards six times and had a longer peak than most modern running backs have had. A first-ballot induction is unlikely, but he could make it into the Hall down the line.
7) Geno Atkins
Had Geno Atkins been able to stay healthy and play for two or three more seasons, his candidacy for the Hall of Fame would likely be set in stone. Regardless, he has a good enough resume to warrant strong consideration for induction as it is.
Atkins made the HOF All-2010s Team, which is no surprise considering how great he was during that decade. He finished his career with eight Pro Bowl appearances and three All-Pro nominations, tallying 75.5 sacks in 11 seasons. He might have to wait a few years, but he feels like an eventual inductee into Canton.
6) Maurkice Pouncey
Surprisingly, there have only been ten centers inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Whether or not that changes in 2026 remains to be seen, but sooner or later, Maurkice Pouncey should join those ten men in Canton.
Pouncey was a nine-time Pro Bowler and a five-time All-Pro. A member of the HOF 2010s All-Decade Team, he made the Pro Bowl in all but one of the seasons he played in the NFL. Of the centers inducted into the Hall, only one has had a shorter career than Pouncey. That could make a 2026 induction unlikely, but he should make his way there in due time.
5) Frank Gore
The biggest argument in Frank Gore’s favor is his longevity. With 241 career games, no running back has ever appeared in more NFL action. Not only that, but he was pretty good for a sustained period; he was a five-time Pro Bowler and surpassed 1,000 rushing yards nine times.
Gore was only a one-time All-Pro, and he was never truly one of the elite at the running back position when he played. However, he’s third in all-time rushing yards because of his ability to be an excellent starter longer than just about anyone else has been able to. He’s likely not a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but he should get in within a year or two.
4) Philip Rivers
Throughout his career, Philip Rivers was consistently one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He was never the best, but he regularly placed in the top five or top ten for most of his 15 years as a starting quarterback in the league.
Rivers is an eight-time Pro Bowler, but he has never made an All-Pro team. He never made it to the Super Bowl. Still, he ranks sixth all-time in passing yards and touchdowns. With Drew Brees also being in his first year of eligibility, Rivers might not see his induction come in 2026. However, his sustained level of strong play should get him in eventually.
3) Jason Witten
Jason Witten will go down as one of the greatest tight ends the NFL has ever seen. Not only did he have one of the highest peaks the position has ever seen, but his sustained high-level play makes him a likely Hall of Famer. The only question is whether that happens in his first year of eligibility.
Witten is an 11-time Pro Bowler and a four-time All-Pro. He ranks second all-time in receptions and receiving yards for tight ends, as well as sixth in touchdowns. Antonio Gates had to wait a year before his induction into the Hall of Fame. He had a higher peak than Witten, but it’s possible the extra four years the latter played gets him into Canton in 2026.
2) Larry Fitzgerald
The fact that Larry Fitzgerald played 17 seasons as a wide receiver in the NFL is impressive in itself. What’s perhaps even more amazing is that he made the Pro Bowl 11 times in his career, which was spent entirely with the Arizona Cardinals.
Thanks to his longevity and high level of play, Fitzgerald ranks second in all-time receptions and receiving yards, as well as sixth in receiving touchdowns. The only player ahead of him in the first two categories is Jerry Rice, and everyone ahead of him in touchdowns is already in the Hall of Fame. Fitzgerald will surely join them in 2026.
1) Drew Brees
It would be a genuine shock if Drew Brees were not a first-ballot inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, he has arguably the strongest case of any first-year eligible player in the 2026 class.
Brees was a 13-time Pro Bowler, a Super Bowl champion, a five-time All-Pro, and a two-time Offensive Player of the Year. Between his stints starting in New Orleans and San Diego, he currently ranks second in both career passing yards and passing touchdowns.
