Moss? You can easily look at player like Art Monk or the 2 pass on this year TIm Brown and Chris Carter whom at a time or 1 and 2 on record books or right behind Jerry Rice. But he was a heck of a player. He probably doesn't need to be in. Two: Carmichael. 5. 579 receptions, 10,372 yards, 76 TD. Duper played from 1982 to 1992. He's here for the statheads. He didn't live up to his contract in Cleveland, he got a bad reputation, Left Eye burned his house down, and he played for seven teams, eight if you count the Argos. He was a four-time Pro Bowler and made three All-Pro teams as a starter (more than Cris Carter and Tim Brown combined). And then theres Jimmy Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler who led the NFL with 116 receptions in 1999. Grays not in the same statistical neighborhood as anyone except Swann, who was perhaps the most graceful and visually stunning receiver in history, a clutch legend and playoff hero, and who is widely regarded as a poor choice for Canton (see Tims comment above). Anything that causes a player's career to be broken up usually dampens the perception of his greatness. The off-field stuff isn't supposed to factor into HOF voting, but Rison's uneven career and locker room impact are fair game. Art Monk. Today's wide receivers play 16-game schedules. He had three tremendous seasons, yes, but so did all the others, and they were effective players for much longer. 590 receptions, 8,985 yards, 79 TD. By the fall of 1994, he had been cut by Dallas and also the Philadelphia Eagles, leading to a year out of football. 1975-84: Charlie Joiner, Steve Largent, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann He probably doesn't need to be in. He helped redefine both offensive expectations and the wide receiver position during that span. at HOF Qualifications: EXCELLENT. 862 receptions, 12,287 yards, 67 TD. It was institutes in 1974 and allowed dbs only one chuck of a receiver after 3 yards and was instigated by the mauling of Curtis by the Pittsburgh secondary in their 1973 playoff matchup with Cincy. Now, it's guys like Cris Carter and Tim Brown. It's difficult to compare players across eras at any position, and this is particularly true in the passing game, because the rules and statistics have changed so much. Only cause you have to look a one member of the hall of fame who went in soon as eligible. For this project, we'll examine in depth 25 eligible wide receivers with strong backing for the Hall of Fame: Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Harold Carmichael, Cris Carter, Wes Chandler, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Charley Hennigan, Harlon Hill, Billy Howton, Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, Stanley Morgan, Drew Pearson, Art Powell, Andre Reed, Andre Rison, Sterling Sharpe, Del Shofner, Jimmy Smith, Mac Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Otis Taylor, and Billy Wilson. No, it was Carter." Harold Jackson Five-time Pro Bowler, first player to amass 10,000 receiving yards in the NFL. Based in Charlotte, NC, we specialize in intelligent sports fan commentary and colorful interpretation. NFL Rumors: DeAndre Hopkins To Remain With the Arizona Cardinals? According to computer vision, Addison has the third-fastest burst (speed achieved in the first 3 yards traveled) of any receiver in this draft class when . Charley Taylor<br>1964-1975, 1977. . For what it's worth, neither has ever reached the Finalist stage of voting. The Cowboys now have 20 Hall of Fame members, thanks to three more additions last weekend. Smith was occasionally dogged by drug issues, and his four-game suspension in 2003 probably kept him from becoming the only person besides Rice with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons. "Flash 80" is the best WR of all time in NFL history. That hurts Brown, who was a dazzling punt returner (3,320 yds, 10.2 avg, 3 TDs). The Best Wide Receivers Of All Time In NFL History [2023 Updated] This is an era in which the phrase "other than Jerry Rice" comes up often. My frenemies in analytics circles may have missed the fact that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers acquired Tom Brady in exchange for money and won a Super Bowl as a result. 2. He led the NFL in receiving touchdowns twice, and in . But those are glimpses of greatness. Branch made four Pro Bowls, was four times first-team All-Pro, and played on three Super Bowl winners. That said, Hopkins may have to wait in line behind another recent Houston Texans receiver and former teammate. Drew Pearson His three-year yardage and TD totals are the highest for any receiver in the 1970s, including the later years with a 16-game schedule. Look at the man's career stats. 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. Besides, we should compare players to their contemporaries, not guys a decade younger. But the truth, I think, is that he falls a bit short, maybe as much by bad luck as anything. That means he will probably fall well short of enshrinement, which is just another indicator of how high the bar to Canton is. Late in his career, he was suspended under the NFLs substance-abuse policy; after retiring, he went through even more cycles of rehab, sobriety and relapse, even serving prison time in 2013. Jimmy Smith Made five Pro Bowls, gained 1,000 yards in every full season as a starter, caught 110 passes twice. But playing on so many bad Eagles teams delayed his entry into the Hall of Fame. He played seven games and never caught a pass. Now, it's guys like Andre Reed and Cliff Branch. Drew Pearson Had five standout seasons and played in seven NFC Championship Games. According to era-adjusted metrics such as TRY and AV, however, Smith belongs in the conversation of all-time great receivers. For this project, we'll examine in depth 25 eligible wide receivers with strong backing for the Hall of Fame: Cliff Branch, Tim Brown, Harold Carmichael, Cris Carter, Wes Chandler, Gary Clark, Henry Ellard, Irving Fryar, Charley Hennigan, Harlon Hill, Billy Howton, Harold Jackson, Herman Moore, Stanley Morgan, Drew Pearson, Art Powell, Andre Reed, Andre Rison, Sterling Sharpe, Del Shofner, Jimmy Smith, Mac Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Otis Taylor, and Billy Wilson. Rison was a great player basically all the same years as Irvin, and if touchdowns are a big deal to you, you could easily regard them as more or less equal. HOF Qualifications: FAIR. A seventh-round draft pick remarkable for his height (6'8"), Carmichael led the Eagles in receiving yardage seven times and played in four Pro Bowls. Live From New York: Will AI Replace This Podcast. He didn't play at all the next two years. But in totality, it's . HOF Qualifications: POOR. Cris Carter He made five Pro Bowls and led the NFL in a major receiving category four times more than Biletnikoff, Joiner, Irvin, Lavelli, Lofton, Monk, Stallworth, and Swann combined. Swann: 336 rec, 5,462 yds, 51 TD. 1987-2002, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins Carter, in his third-best season, led the NFL in receiving touchdowns. Draymond Green, Sports Central / Original Sports Fan Commentary Since 1998, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1970s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s, Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s, Risers, Fallers of the 2022-23 NFL Season. Carter had eight 1,000-yard seasons, six years with double-digit receiving TDs, led the NFL in a major receiving category four times and at one point set the single-season record for receptions. Hall spent seven seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (2000-06), appearing in 97 games (10 starts) which is tied for the seventh most by a wide receiver in franchise history. That's good. That hurts Brown, who was a dazzling punt returner (3,320 yds, 10.2 avg, 3 TDs). The argument against Brown is that he was consistent rather than exceptional. Now lets talk seriously about getting Cliff Branch and Sterling Sharpe into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But Smith's. The Best Wide Receivers in Los Angeles Rams Franchise History Top 10 Wide Receivers Not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame But he was a heck of a player. There's a comparison to be drawn between Smith from '95-'04 and Big Game Torry Holt in the 2000s, when BGTH led the league in receptions and yards, with about half as many touchdowns as Moss and Owens. Irvin gained almost 1,400 yards and led all receivers in first downs. 1988-2004, Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Fryar was a late bloomer. Branch made four Pro Bowls, was four times first-team All-Pro, and played on three Super Bowl winners. The players listed below are the top 250 HOFm-rated players who played WR starting in 1955 or later for at least 50 career games. Hall will be the 48th player and 52nd individual inducted into the Chiefs . From 200-2006, Hall became one of the premier playmakers for the franchise, gaining . In 2000, they chose Carter, not Michael Irvin, to join Rice on the All-90s Team. Of course, Rison doesn't nearly equal Irvin in the postseason, but that's a gap of opportunity as much as talent. He was 31 when he made his first Pro Bowl as a receiver, a 10-year veteran. See? 600-700 receptions At least 5 Pro Bowls At least 2 all pros Or 1 all pro and a Superbowl MVP All this just to be considered. Jackson led the league in receiving touchdowns and was a consensus All-Pro. He has also been shunted behind Holt and Wayne in the wide receiver queue and Alan Faneca in the ex-Steelers queue. Morgan was one of the greatest deep threats in NFL history. Although Rice played in only five seasons during the decade of the 1980s, he was regarded by many to be on the path to be called the greatest receiver of all-time. Pearson: 489 rec, 7,822 yds, 48 TD His achievement is still an unbroken record, thanks to his productivity and longevity during 20 NFL seasons. We'll expand on this next week, but how would Rison's career look different without Rice in the landscape? Next Article: Julian Edelman Retires: Looking back at his 12-year career with the Patriots. The bar for the Pro Football Hall of Fame is incredibly high, and even a player of Johnsons caliber can end up in a bin with four or five other guys a few seasons after his retirement. His detractors would point out that while Smith did have exceptional years, and did play well in several others, he had so few seasons on the field that his overall statistics don't measure up to the best players of his generation. They can't be bumped more than five yards downfield. He fell just short of 600 receptions, 9,000 yards, and 80 touchdowns. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s Players at the other stat positions quarterbacks and running backs are elected to the PFHOF with much higher frequency than wideouts. Hall Of Good (13). If that whole period had fallen into a single decade, how differently might he be viewed? Andre Rison Swann and Stallworth were legendary postseason performers. Sterling Sharpe's five best seasons (1989-90, 92-94) average 4th, 5th, and 5th. When they needed the key first down, who did they go to? It's Pro Football Hall of Fame induction week around the NFL world. So why isnt he in? He is one of only five receivers with nine or more 1,000-yard seasons (Tim Brown, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Rice), and one of five with six straight 1,100-yard seasons (Marvin Harrison, Torry Holt, Moss, Rice). February 28, 2012 by Brad Oremland Print Story. 4. Let's break this down a little more, looking at both the Hall of Famers and the contenders we've examined. Finally, the Seniors Committee and the Centennial Committee appear determined to enshrine just about every 1970s receiver except Branch. 1,094 receptions, 14,934 yards, 100 TD. What To Do About A Problem Like Dianne Feinstein? Their quarterbacks are protected in ways Y.A. That means consistency and durability. The Hall of Fame voters, in recent years, have almost entirely ignored special teams contributions. Drew Pearson (part of the 2021 class) was a great player, and I grew up worshipping Harold Carmichael (2020 Centennial class), but Branch is more qualified than either of them. Stroud Could Slide, Bijan Robinson, and More, Ranking the Best NFL Draft Steals of All Time From Tom Brady to Tony Romo. Which is a shame, because he was secretly one of the greatest pass-catchers in NFL history. I suspect it is here that Jackson's consistency has worked against him. In 1977, he led the NFL in receiving yardage and was a consensus All-Pro. Jerry Rice, Marvin Harrison, and Carter are the only players in history with five straight years of double-digit receiving touchdowns. Here are ten worthy wide receivers who are about to become Hall of Fame nominees, were snubbed or lost in the shuffle in the past, or (in our first two cases) wont be eligible for at least a decade. It's useful to me, in thinking about these issues, to break them down by era. Pro Football Network, LLC. for NFL news and in-depth analysis concerning the 2021 season and beyond. For Minnesota, it was Randy Moss, not Carter. So in Smith you have one of the best old receivers ever, a guy who had a lot of good seasons, including five years over 1,200 yards and two seasons catching more than 110 passes. Smith made the most of the years he did play, with nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons and five Pro Bowl appearances. Whether you like Rison for Canton probably depends partly on how much weight you give to those factors, and whether you're more interested in career accomplishments, or you're focused on the player's prime. He probably shouldn't be in. Toss that in with popularity and the team your on probably a shoe in. We continue this week with WRs of the 1970s. Fred Taylor, who rushed for over 11,000 yards, is unlikely to receive serious consideration. Dante Hall chosen for induction into Chiefs Hall of Fame Steve Smith - legendary wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers hops on the podcast with Takeo and Steve's former Panther teammate Tutan to talk about Steve's career in the game, where his drive comes from and how his next chapter as an analyst has allowed him to see the game in a whole new light. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time - bolavip.com Moore's other issue is that he played for the Lions at a time when (1) they weren't an elite team, (2) they had kind of a weird offense, (3) he was overshadowed by Barry Sanders. They play in high-efficiency pass-oriented offenses, as opposed to the exciting but reckless bomb-it-down-the-field passing games of the past, when running was a way of life and throwing a sneaky change of pace or a mark of desperation. They can't be bumped more than five yards downfield. Becoming a wide receiver is almost just an inevitable part of life at that point lmao" Pro Football WR Hall of Fame Monitor Cris Carter Eight-time Pro Bowler, set single-season reception record, caught 1,100 passes for 130 TDs. 1980-89: James Lofton, Art Monk So this is really a list of 15. The top 18 players in all-time sacks are either in the Hall of Fame or will be soon except for O'Neal, who ranks No. Sterling Sharpe: Hall of Fame Candidate Cliff Branch Four-time All-Pro and three-time Super Bowl champion who was exceptional in his prime. Fryar eventually recorded five 1,000-yard seasons, and his accomplishments as a returner are significant, something that should factor into any consideration of his Hall of Fame case. Harrison is in the Hall of Fame, along with a number of Smiths other receiving peers: Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Isaac Bruce, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and, of course, Jerry Rice. I believe only about five of those players deserve induction, but there's a case to be made for all of them. That rule culminated in the 1978 allowance of only one bump of a receiver within the first five yards of the line. Both players also have to fight the perception that they were good for a long time without being true standouts. Four time pro bowler and 3 time 2nd team all-pro. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s (Hill, Howton, Speedie, Hugh Taylor, Wilson) Cliff Branch 1972-85, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 501 receptions, 8,685 yards, 67 TD. Ten Worthy Hall of Fame Receivers (Not Named Julian Edelman) April 15, 2021, 11:20 am ET 38 Our own Mike Tanier wades into the Hall of Fame debate with this list of wide receivers he believes deserve consideration for the Hall of Fame. But Smiths career was already halfway over when the 1999 Greatest Show on Turf St. Louis Rams began to revolutionize the modern passing game; he hung up his cleats for good two seasons before the 2007 New England Patriots further accelerated that trend. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1960s (Hennigan, Powell, Shofner, Otis Taylor) Hall of Fame QB's son will get NFL chance after signing rookie free The most by any current Hall of Fame receiver is five (Tommy McDonald). Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@PFN365) to stay in the loop on all things around the NFL. He signed for 1995 and spent the season working his way up the new teams depth chart. He is ranked 15th in NFL history with 13,777 yards, but he is not in the Hall of Fame, though he was nominated in . In 1994, he set the single-season record for receptions (122, since broken), and in three other seasons he led the NFL in receiving TDs. Tyreek's 2K Target; He's Not Playing Around Or Is He? Today's wide receivers play 16-game schedules. From 1990-94, Rison was a truly great player. 1984-2000, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins His career-highs after '76 were 59 receptions (1980), and 858 yards and 7 TDs (both '81). Smith retired when he was still a good player; his final season yielded 70 catches, 1023 yards, and 6 TDs. Morgans career was in decline by the time the Patriots got hammered by the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl XX. In 1969, Jackson's first year with the team, they ranked 7th in passing yards and tied for 8th in scoring, jumping to 19.9 ppg. NFL Trade Rumors: Could Dalvin Cook, Austin Ekeler, or DeAndre Hopkins Get Moved This Week? His career yards-per-reception rate of 19.2 ranks 10th in history and is the highest of any player whose career began after the AFL-NFL merger. Essentially, Carter is battling the notion that he usually wasn't even the best receiver on his own team, that he was a system player who seldom had to deal with double-teams and caught a bunch of short passes. Also, Matt Ryan is not a Hall of Famer, no matter how hard Atlanta Falcons fans try to pretend that he is. HOF Qualifications: FAIR. So its telling that Smith never finished behind McCardell in TRY (whether total or per game) during any of their six seasons together. That's a much different rsum, particularly on the touchdowns. Then again, Smith didn't play on the kind of pass-oriented offenses most of the others did. In 1979, Carmichael broke the NFL record for consecutive games with a reception, eventually stretching the mark to 127 before it was broken by Steve Largent in 1986. He may be over-qualified, but Sharpe is not the most overqualified receiver on our list. Carter was a standout. I believe only about five of those players deserve induction, but there's a case to be made for all of them. James Jones: Julian Edelman had a very good career, but there's no way he belongs in the Hall of Fame. His 2010 season is sort of underrated -- imagine a 33-year-old Hall of Fame wideout coming off a year where he led the league in touchdown receptions and went over 1,000 yards suddenly being . Choosing between the two, I'd go with Ellard. Sharpe, unfortunately, suffered a neck injury at the end of the 1994 season, and that was that. During that three-year stretch, Branch caught 157 passes for 3,096 yards and 34 TDs. In fact, McCardell could make his own HoPDGP case. Irvin had seven 1,000-yard seasons, two 1,500-yard seasons, five straight over 1,200. Boldin is yet another receiver who becomes a Hall of Fame nominee this year. Hill is an instant-impact player, and voters typically prefer that sort of player to someone who just accumulates lots of stats by being a cog in a machine. Top 25 Best NFL Wide Receivers of All Time He should be in. Smith in 2004 gained the third-most receiving yards ever by a 35-year-old (1,172), and he and Rice are the only players ever to gain over 1,000 yards in a full season after turning 36. Pearson caught the pass that gave the play now known as a "Hail Mary" its name. These NFL wide receivers, Hopkins, like Edelman, made a little news on Monday when the folks at the MIT Sloan Analytics Conference named Hopkins acquisition by the Arizona Cardinals as the, Smith, like Andre Johnson, becomes Hall of Fame eligible next season. Carter last led the Vikings in receiving yards in 1995. If you're here for another era, check out our other articles in this series: Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1980s In 1974, Pearson set career-highs in a 14-game season, no less for receptions and receiving yards. 1945-54: Tom Fears, Elroy Hirsch, Dante Lavelli, Pete Pihos Pearson made three Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams, and from 1974-79, he was consistently among the top receivers in the NFL. In his prime, Smith was a receiving machine, easily the most important part of a Jaguars team that won the NFLs seventh-most games from 1996 through Smiths retirement after the 2005 season. How many Pro Football Hall of Fame players went to Ohio State? But give the Sloan crew credit: they arent hailing Jon Gruden as a mathematical sorcerer because he traded Khalil Mack for draft picks anymore! Fryar never caught 90 passes in a season, was never first-team All-Pro, only caught double-digit TD passes once. Carmichael was one of the best wide receivers of his era. Tony Boselli, one of the best left tackles of a generation full of great ones, has been a finalist for five years. In his 11-year career, Pearson led the Cowboys in receiving TDs only twice (1975-76). More, Subscribe to the Sports Central Feed Follow Sports Central on Twitter, "There is a reason he is a two-time MVP, a Finals MVP, because he pushes us over the top in moments like this. Just looking at career numbers, Fryar and Rison both compare well to Irvin. Irving Fryar Five-time Pro Bowler and standout punt returner who played 17 seasons and scored 88 total TDs. So this is really a list of 15. The only wide receiver from Carmichael's era who had more TD catches was Paul Warfield, who had 85. The same thing happened to Brown with receiving yardage. Elect Willie Gault already. He was also one of the best punt returners of his generation, and still holds the rookie record for all-purpose yards. The two who stand out on the list, obviously, are Powell and Carmichael. Players active in 2005 who rank closest to a Top 20 ranking: TERRELL OWENS (716), ERIC MOULDS (675), RICKY PROEHL (666), TONY GONZALEZ (648), MUHSIN MUHAMMAD . Clutch. Everyone else on this list has a strong case, though some are stronger than others. Of course, Brown is most remembered as a receiver who was among the best at his position for a decade. Those of us who care about the Hall of Fame sometimes write derisively about "compilers" that is, a compiler of stats, who has impressive career numbers without ever really being a great player. I know, they won in '83, but that's a different team: Marcus Allen, Howie Long, Mike Haynes the '70s Raiders already have an awful lot of Hall of Famers for a team that only won its own conference twice. We all believe that Calvin Johnson is one of the greatest of all time. But you can't compare Smith to the guys who played most of their careers in the 2000s, because Smith was already in his 30s then. What about the Cardinals Mel Gray? Frankly, Smith has one of the weakest cases on this list. During the 1970s, Carmichael ranked 2nd in receptions, tied for 2nd in receiving TDs, and 4th in receiving yardage. Sharpe was better than any of them, but the others had long careers and lots of postseason glory. Jimmy Smith was drafted in 1992. Hill is no Hall of Famer yet, but it will only take a few more deep playoff runs with Patrick Mahomes to put him over the top. Best Wide Receivers Not in the Hall of Fame: 1950s. He has a well-deserved tough-guy personality, a high television profile (all voters try to tune that sort of thing out, and a few succeed), and several signature plays, including the broken-arm catch and some unforgettable playoff performances. But again, heck of a player. You can probably win a bar bet with that, by the way. Go back and look at the tape, % of run/pass ratio for the era, and the fact he was on bad teams until Dick Vermiel took over in Philly. Jerry Rice in the '90s and Jackson in the '70s are the only Modern Era players to lead any decade in every major receiving category. The Hall of Fame argument in Rison's favor is that he has good career stats for his era, and he was a remarkable player in his prime, with five 1,000-yard seasons and four years of double-digit TDs. Work at the Hall; Buy Tickets; FAQs; That's obviously good, but it doesn't blow you away. Behind The Mask Podcast: STEVE SMITH, FORMER CAROLINA PANTHER ALL-PRO 25 Best Undrafted NFL Players of All Time - AthlonSports.com Carter averaged just 12.6 yards per reception, one of the lowest marks in history for an elite wide receiver. The best time of the year to . But debates that take place the moment a good-not-great player retires are not really healthy. When you're trying to stand out from contemporaries like Brown and Carter, who played forever, that's a real problem. He was voted to the 1970s All-Decade Team as a backup and was second-team All-Pro twice. A statistical oddity about Drew Pearson: in his two best seasons, he scored a combined total of four touchdowns. The late '80s and early '90s, meanwhile, have no one but Jerry Rice in the Hall of Fame. Sharpe was one of the best players in the NFL from 1992 to 1994. Jackson's record wasn't tied until Tim Brown in 2003, and finally broken by Terrell Owens and Tony Gonzalez almost 30 years later. Those same seasons, he placed 23rd, 1st, 2nd, tied for 1st, and 8th in receptions an average of 7th. Seventh, 9th, and 14th. Part of the reason Rison moved around so much is that he was viewed as a bit of a headcase. Branch is almost obscenely overqualified for the Hall of Fame. 1,101 receptions, 13,899 yards, 130 TD. Cause is stats cant be the reason. His Hall of Fame candidacy came up just as the committee was flailing to clear an embarrassing Art Monk-Andre Reed-Tim Brown logjam. HOF Qualifications: POOR. NFL News and Rumors: Dalvin Cook to Dolphins, C.J. 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best wide receivers not in the hall of fame