Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 Finalists

Last week the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced the 15 finalists for the Class of 2020.

Steve Atwater
Tony Boselli
Isaac Bruce
LeRoy Butler
Alan Faneca
Tory Holt
Steve Hutchinson
Edgerrin James
John Lynch
Sam Mills
Troy Polamalu
Richard Seymour
Zach Thomas
Reggie Wayne
Bryant Young

Two are finalists in their first year of eligibility.

Troy Polamalu
Reggie Wayne

Five have been previously eligible but are finalists for the first time.

LeRoy Butler
Tory Holt
Sam Mills
Zach Thomas
Bryant Young

The remaining eight have been through this before. None more than John Lynch's seven times.

For me, the most striking thing about the 15 finalists was one player that didn't make it. Former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis was in his first year of eligibility. Not only did I see his path to Hall of Fame finalist as a certainty I saw his being in Canton next August as a near certainty. From the moment Willis retired after an injury-plagued eighth season I had him as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020. He was one of the best linebackers of my lifetime and the best linebacker of his generation. He was first team All-Pro in five of his eight seasons. He made the Pro Bowl seven times. The only season with no honors was his final season in 2014 in which he played only six games due to a foot injury. An injury that led to his retirement following the season. His play from 2007-09 and 2010-13 was so great that he'd be one of my All-Decade linebacker for each of the two decades in which he played. It's simply astonishing to me that he didn't even make it to the finalist stage of the selection process. Perhaps his retirement after only eight seasons was too much for the voters. Willis' omission as a finalist is the most puzzling decision by the voters that I've ever seen. And they've had a few puzzling decisions. It's been a week since the finalists were announced and I'm still shocked by it.

So, the 15 players that the voters did select. If it was up to me, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will look something like this.

Troy Polamalu
Steve Hutchinson
Tony Boselli
Alan Faneca
LeRoy Butler

There's a logjam of receivers building (again) and Calvin Johnson is about to be added to it. I've never liked the thinking that a player has to get in for a reason other than he deserves it. A receiver, or any player at any position, shouldn't be passed into the Hall of Fame simply because of the position they play. I really like Isaac Bruce, Tory Holt, and Reggie Wayne but right now I feel that the above five players are more deserving to be part of the next Class of Hall of Famers. Three offensive linemen and two safeties. It's a Class of positions that don't always get a lot of attention. Polamalu is an easy pick. When each of the three offensive linemen were playing I felt that I was watching one of the best to play his position. Being able to say that about a player should carry more weight than the position he plays. Boselli stood out during an era of great left tackles. His peers (Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, Jonathan Ogden) are in the Hall of Fame. He should join them. Hutchinson and Faneca were the best guards of their generation. LeRoy Butler was the most versatile of the safeties currently banging on Canton's door. That versatility pushes him past Steve Atwater and John Lynch in my book.

At this moment, Polamalu, Hutchinson, Boselli, Faneca, and Butler are my five Hall of Famers. We'll know the opinions that actually matter on the eve of Super Bowl LIV.