Future Hall Classes

It doesn't feel right to start looking at future Pro Football Hall of Fame Classes while members of the current one have yet to hang up their spiffy Gold Jacket but we've always been quick to the next thing. NFL.com Analyst Elliott Harrison has taken his Hall of Fame look ahead to an extreme. He's taken a stab at the next five classes. Here's what he has.

2018
Brian Dawkins
Ray Lewis
Alan Faneca
Terrell Owens
Randy Moss

Seniors
Chuck Howley
Johnny Robinson

Contributor
Pat Bowlen

2019
Ed Reed
Tony Gonzalez
Brian Urlacher
John Lynch
Champ Bailey

Senior
Drew Pearson

Contributor
George Young

2020
Troy Polamalu
Steve Hutchinson
Don Coryell
Ty Law
Jimmy Johnson

Seniors
Todd Christensen
Jerry Kramer

Contributor
Gil Brandt

2021
Peyton Manning
Charles Woodson
Tony Boselli
Patrick Willis
Ronde Barber

Senior 
Ken Anderson

Contributor
Bobby Beathard

2022
DeMarcus Ware
Jared Allen
Calvin Johnson
Edgerrin James
Steve Atwater

Seniors 
Cliff Harris
Randy Gradsihar

Contributor
Steve Sabol

It's tough to grumble about Harrison's Modern-era predictions. As a Minnesota Vikings I love seeing the relatively quick inductions of Randy Moss, Steve Hutchinson, and Jared Allen. Harrison has Moss and Allen gaining first-ballot entrance. None of the Vikings 13 Hall of Famers can say that. Joe Jacoby and Isaac Bruce are two players that come to mind that could factor into one of the upcomimg classes. Jacoby has waited longer than any of the above Modern-era candidates outside of Don Coryell.

While I have no issues with Harrison's Modern-era predictions I have some with his Senior picks. I just don't understand why the voters and talking heads have seemingly shut the door on pre-1950 players. Especially the voters. They still have work to do. Lavvie Dilweg, Duke Slater, Al Wistert, Mac Speedie. Dilweg and Slater played in the 1920s. They were among the best at their positions for the entirety of their careers. I'd look at them before even considering a player that played as recently as the 1970s. Few players in the Hall can match Wistert's 6 First-Team All-Pro selections and he played an integral role on a great, two-time title winning Philadelphia Eagles team. Speedie also made six All-Pro teams and was an explosive game-breaker for a Cleveland Browns team that won five championships. Perhaps Speedie is being punished for his four years in the AAFC and three in the CFL. Or maybe the voters think that there are already enough Cleveland Browns players from that era in the Hall. Too many players from a single team! That's always been a pathetic reason to ignore Hall of Fame-caliber careers. Alex Karras, Bobby Boyd, and Eddie Meador are three other players that I'd consider before focusing on players of the 1970s. Jerry Kramer and Johnny Robinson are the two Harrison Senior picks that get my approval. His other picks are deserving but I'd get some of the truly Senior players in first. Especially Dilweg, Slater, Wistert, and Speedie. It's depressing when players deserving of Hall recognition don't live to see their inductions. The voters waited too long on recent Senior players like Les Richter, Dick Stanfel, and Ken Stabler. Wistert passed last year. He should've been inducted in time to come back to Canton to see a couple dozen classes join him in the Hall.

Harrison's Contributor picks are fin but I'd look at Steve Sabol, George Young, and Pat Bowlen, in that order.