Which active NFL players have a chance to make the Hall of Fame?

With the 2023 preseason officially underway following Thursday's Hall of Fame Game, let's look at active NFLers who could wear a gold jacket in Canton one day. Players who are unsigned or have fewer than two played seasons on their resumes weren't considered.

Quarterbacks

Locks: Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes
Strong contenders: Russell Wilson
On track early: Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen, Joe Burrow

Rodgers and Mahomes are two of this list's biggest locks. Yes, Mahomes has been a starter for only five seasons, but no other QB in history has done what we've seen in 80 regular-season starts from the Kansas City Chiefs superstar. In addition to absurd numbers, Mahomes has two rings and four MVP awards between the regular season and Super Bowl. Meanwhile, four-time NFL MVP Rodgers is in the top 10 for career passing yards (59,055) and touchdowns (475). He's also led the league in TD-to-INT ratio six times.

Wilson doesn't have any All-Pro berths, but with over 40,000 yards and 300 touchdown passes under his belt, the nine-time Pro Bowler, who's also won a Super Bowl, has a strong case as one of the league's greatest dual-threat quarterbacks of all time.

Jackson, Burrow, and Allen have all played only five or fewer seasons. Jackson boasts the stronger resume of the three, having been named MVP unanimously in 2019. The Baltimore Ravens star also owns the single-season QB record for rushing yards (1,206) and is the first quarterback to have multiple seasons with 1,000-plus yards on the ground.

Brett Carlsen / Getty Images Sport / GettyRunning backs

Locks: N/A
Strong contender: Derrick Henry
On track early: N/A

The running back position doesn't have many active NFLers who make the cut in our categories. Henry has the strongest resume, given what he's done in the last four seasons. After a relatively quiet start to his career, the 2016 second-round pick led the league in carries, yards, and touchdown runs in back-to-back campaigns (2019-20). In 2020, he became the eighth player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards in a season. The former Offensive Player of the Year still has to do more, and he'll turn 30 next year, but he's only 1,665 yards and 22 rushing touchdowns shy of joining the 10,000-100 club. Only one eligible player is part of that club and hasn't been inducted into the Hall of Fame (Shaun Alexander).

Wide receivers

Locks: Tyreek Hill
Strong contenders: Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, Mike Evans
On track early: Justin Jefferson

Among active wide receivers on a roster, no one has a better chance of being in Canton than Hill, who's claimed four first-team All-Pro berths in seven NFL seasons. The most dangerous deep-threat target in football, Hill's ability to extend the field and create big plays due to his blazing speed is unmatchable. The seven-time Pro Bowler, who was also a dangerous kickoff and punt returner early in his career, helped the Chiefs lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy once before joining the Miami Dolphins last year.

Adams also seems to be on his way to becoming a surefire Hall of Famer. The Las Vegas Raiders star's earned three straight first-team All-Pro selections, and though he isn't in the top 30 for career receptions (769) and yards (9,637), his 87 TD catches are the 12th-most in NFL history. Every former player in front of him on that TD list is in Canton. Football Reference HOF Monitor ranks Hopkins slightly ahead of Adams. Hopkins boasts three first-team All-Pro nods and enters Year 1 with the Tennessee Titans with 853 catches, 11,298 yards, and 71 touchdowns. Then there's Evans, who doesn't have a first-team All-Pro selection but is the only player ever to start a career with nine straight seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards. He's also won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Jefferson has had a historic start to his NFL journey, catching a record 4,825 yards through his first three seasons. He earned his first first-team All-Pro nod in 2022 and was named Offensive Player of the Year after becoming the youngest player to lead the league in receptions and receiving yards at 23 years old.

Tight ends

Locks: Travis Kelce
Strong contenders: Jimmy Graham
On track early: N/A

If there was any doubt Kelce was a first-ballot Hall of Famer, he put those questions to bed after 2022. The seven-time All-Pro, who just won his second Super Bowl with Kansas City, holds several tight end records, including most seasons with 100-plus catches and 1,000-plus receiving yards. We're looking at one of the greatest TEs of all time.

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Graham hasn't played since 2021, but the five-time Pro Bowler was an elite tight end in his prime. Graham, who recently signed a one-year deal to return to the New Orleans Saints, ranks seventh all time in receptions, eighth in yards, and fourth in TD catches among TEs.

Offensive linemen

Locks: Jason Kelce, Zack Martin, Tyron Smith, Trent Williams
Strong contenders: N/A
On track early: N/A

Football Reference HOF Monitor ranks Kelce 11th and several points below the average score of a Hall of Fame center. However, coming off a stellar 2022 campaign, Kelce is returning for another season with the Philadelphia Eagles. In NFL history, every center with at least four first-team All-Pro nods is in Canton. Kelce has five. He'll get there. So will Martin, a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team who has the second-most first-team All-Pro honors among guards with six. He's made the Pro Bowl in all but one year since entering the league in 2014 and remains one of football's premier linemen.

Smith and Williams should also feel good about their chances. Williams, a 10-time Pro Bowler, is playing his best football and earned back-to-back first-team All-Pro nods in the last two seasons as the league's best left tackle. Meanwhile, Smith has struggled with injuries in recent years, but the eight-time Pro Bowl tackle was a member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and has two first-team All-Pro berths.

Interior defensive linemen

Locks: Aaron Donald
Strong contenders: Fletcher Cox, Cam Heyward
On track early: N/A

Not only is Donald a first-ballot Hall of Famer, but the Los Angeles Rams star should also be in the conversation for the greatest defender of all time. A three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Donald's been easily the most dominant interior lineman of his generation, earning seven first-team All-Pro berths and having already topped 100 career sacks in nine NFL seasons.

Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images

Cox and Heyward are pretty unstoppable themselves, too. Cox boasts only one first-team All-Pro nod, but the Philadelphia Eagles star was an elite run defender in his prime and will retire as one of the most consistent defensive tackles ever. He has six Pro Bowl nods, a Super Bowl title, and an NFL 2010s All-Decade Team selection. Heyward, owner of three first-team All-Pro berths, is one of football's most complete linemen due to his elite ability to stop the run and create pressure from the inside. Heyward's 78.5 career sacks rank second among active defensive tackles only behind Donald's 103.

Edge rushers

Locks: Von Miller
Strong contenders: Cameron Jordan, Calais Campbell, Khalil Mack, T.J. Watt
On track early: Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Nick Bosa

It's truly remarkable what Miller has done. Among the 2011 No. 2 pick's biggest NFL accomplishments are two Super Bowl titles, a Super Bowl MVP, three first-team All-Pro selections, a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and 123.5 career sacks - the most among active players. He's a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Jordan's and Campbell's HOF resumes aren't as impressive as Miller's, but they may be strong enough. The New Orleans Saints defensive end has 115.5 career sacks - the second-most among active NFLers - to go along with eight Pro Bowl selections and a first-team All-Pro nod. Meanwhile, Campbell is only one sack shy of reaching 100 and boasts a first-team All-Pro selection. The six-time Pro Bowler was named Walter Payton Man of the Year in 2019 for his excellence on and off the field. Finally, Mack is a three-time first-team All-Pro who has a Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume. The 32-year-old slowed down in recent seasons, but if he reaches 100 sacks (he's currently at 84.5), he'll be in contention, given what he's already accomplished. All three of them were members of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

Would Watt be a Hall of Famer if he retired today after six NFL seasons? Probably not. But his resume is already so strong that he should be a contender here. The Pittsburgh Steelers star, who presumably will still play at a high level for years, has posted 77.5 sacks in 87 games and already led the league in sacks twice. That includes a 2021 season in which he tied the single-season NFL record for most sacks (22.5). The three-time first-team All-Pro also has a Defensive Player of the Year award under his belt.

Justin K. Aller / Getty Images Sport / Getty

None of the following players boast resumes strong enough to be contenders. However, they'll get there soon if they keep doing what we've seen from them early in their careers. In six seasons played, Garrett has a pair of first-team All-Pro selections and 74.5 career sacks, including 32 in the last two years. Somehow, Parsons has been even more impressive, claiming two first-team All-Pro berths and a Defensive Rookie of the Year award in two campaigns. Finally, Bosa, who's claimed awards as football's top defensive player and top rookie, earned his first All-Pro nod last year after leading the league with 18.5 sacks.

Linebacker

Locks: Bobby Wagner
Strong contenders: N/A
On track early: N/A

Wagner's career checks every box. Arguably the greatest player in Seahawks history, the 33-year-old was a cornerstone of Seattle's historic Super Bowl-winning defense in 2013. Additionally, he's earned a whopping nine All-Pro berths in 11 seasons, including six first-team nods. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Wagner will retire as one of the greatest middle linebackers the sport has ever seen.

Defensive backs

Locks: Patrick Peterson
Strong contenders: Jalen Ramsey, Tyrann Mathieu, Stephon Gilmore
On track early: N/A

A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and a three-time first-team All-Pro, Peterson will certainly be in Canton one day. The LSU product isn't in his prime anymore but was one of the most dominant corners in the league for almost a decade. The eight-time Pro Bowler has also had success as a punt returner, finishing the 2011 season with the Arizona Cardinals tied for the most punt return TDs ever in a single season (four).

Ramsey is the NFL's most respected cornerback after Darrelle Revis. A cornerstone of the Rams' Super Bowl LVI victory, Ramsey has earned three first-team All-Pro berths across seven seasons. Assuming the 28-year-old isn't done adding to his career totals, the six-time Pro Bowler is really close to being a lock. Mathieu isn't quite there, but his resume is strong. The "Honey Badger" is a three-time first-team All-Pro who's been among football's top safeties for years. He was a starter for the Chiefs in their Super Bowl-winning season in 2019. Finally, though Gilmore's prime may not have lasted as long as these other three defensive backs, he accomplished something they didn't: winning a Defensive Player of the Year award. A two-time first-team All-Pro, the 32-year-old led the league in interceptions in 2019.

Special teams

Locks: Matthew Slater
Strong contenders: Cordarrelle Patterson
On track early: N/A

It's not often special teams specialists are locks regarding the Hall of Fame, but the New England Patriots veteran has been easily the best gunner of his generation. Slater, who's helped New England win three Super Bowls, has claimed eight All-Pro berths, including five first-team nods. He's a 10-time Pro Bowler.

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Patterson is widely considered the greatest kickoff returner of all time, having scored a record nine touchdowns in those situations, including six of 100-plus yards. His resume even includes the longest kick return ever (109 yards). And he could add more TDs to that list since he's not expected to lead the Atlanta Falcons' backfield this year. A member of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team, Patterson has four first-team All-Pro nods. He most likely won't be a first-ballot Hall of Famer but could eventually get the call.

Kicker

Locks: Justin Tucker
Strong contenders: N/A
On track early: N/A

No other kicker in NFL history was as accurate as Tucker, who has a career field-goal percentage of 90.5 (minimum 100 attempts). Oh, and he also owns the record for the longest field goal in league history (66 yards). Not often are kickers locks to be selected to the Hall of Fame, but the eight-time All-Pro, who helped the Baltimore Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII, belongs in that group.

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