Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022

The Pro Football Hall of Class of 2022 was revealed during last night’s NFL Honors. The eight-member class is an interesting class. This is an interesting class because there are no first-ballot Hall of Famers. All of them have had to wait for their day in the Canton sun. 

Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Tony Boselli

LeRoy Butler

Sam Mills

Richard Seymour

Bryant Young 

Cliff Branch

Art McNally

Dick Vermeil

The wait is finally over.

Four of the modern era players had to wait until at least their 10th year of eligibility. 

Sam Mills: 20th and final year of eligibility 

Tony Boselli: 16th year of eligibility 

LeRoy Butler: 16th year of eligibility 

Bryant Young: 10th year of eligibility 

Richard Seymour had a blink of a wait. He made it in his fifth year of eligibility. 

For the first time since 2012, a first-time eligible finalist was not selected for enshrinement. This is a tremendous surprise as the Hall of Fame selectors have shown a great tendency to jam through players in the their first year of eligibility. 

The Hall of Fame selectors clearly saw this as a clean-up year. I thought that it could be. I also thought the selectors would take this opportunity to work on the receiver logjam that’s growing again. Instead, they took this opportunity to enshrine players that have been waiting a long time. The Hall wait continues for receivers Tory Holt, Reggie Wayne, Hines Ward, and now Andre Johnson. 

Speaking of receivers. It’s a damn shame that Cliff Branch’s wait was so long. It was so long that he didn’t live to see it. He passed away three years before his Hall call finally came. 

Four defensive players in a Class is a Hall of Fame first. 

Art McNally is the first former on-field official to make it to Canton. 

Congratulations to the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022.