Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022?

It’s tough to count on anything these days but this August there should be a Hall of Fame induction celebration like no other. An incredible 28 new members will be inducted. Over two days, the number of busts in Canton will jump from 326 to 354. So, naturally, instead of continuing to celebrate the Pro Football Hall of Fame Classes of 2020 and 2021, I look toward the Class of 2022. When it comes to Hall of Fame debates, it’s always about the next Class.

The Hall of Fame voters have shown a terrifying tendency to rush players into the Hall on their first ballot. Making it in the first year has to mean something so much more than it currently does. The very best of the very best. These are the players for which there is no debate. If there’s a debate, they wait. Hey, that has a nice ring to it. I wonder if it’s been used before. Probably. It seemed to easy. Anyway, the rush to induct players on the first ballot that aren’t quite first ballot Hall of Famers must stop. Next year, DeMarcus Ware, Robert Mathis, Anquan Boldin, Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, Tony Romo, and Vince Wilfork will join the voting fun. All were terrific players. Some will be in Canton. Some day. I’m particularly partial to Steve Smith. I loved his receiving game. I loved watching him play football. He was one of the best receivers of his era. There might’ve been a year or two in which he was the game’s best receiver. As much as I enjoyed his football career, I don’t think that he quite tilted the field enough, quite changed the game enough to make the Hall in his first year of eligibility. Besides, should he jump Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt in the receiver queue? That same queue question should apply to DeMarcus Ware, Robert Mathis, and even Vince Wilfork. Should they jump Richard Seymour and Jared Allen in the defensive line queue? In my opinion, they shouldn’t. In my opinion, all of the next year’s first-year eligibles should wait. 

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022 should be a class made up of players that have been waiting. Some have been waiting for far too long. Next year should be the year that Tony Boselli finally makes it to Canton. He’s been a finalist each of the past five years. The Hall of Fame is supposed to recognize the quality of a player’s career. Boselli has always had that. For much of his career he was the best left tackle in the league. This was during an era that included Jonathan Ogden, Gary Zimmerman, Willie Roaf, Walter Jones, and Orlando Pace. Four of those five only waited two years for their Hall of Fame selection. Zimmerman waited six years. Boselli has been waiting 15 years. His career was Hall of Fame quality. He just didn’t have the quantity. He only played in 91 games. That isn’t a teaser of an NFL career. That’s a legitimate NFL career. At some point quality must tip that scale. That point is long past with Boselli. In my opinion, he’s at the top of the list of deserving candidates in 2022. 

If we go by the players that came close in the most recent voting, the following could/should join Tony Boselli in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2022. 

Tony Boselli

Richard Seymour

LeRoy Butler

Reggie Wayne

Perhaps I’m a bit biased but I’d round out the Class with Jared Allen. 

As for a Senior Candidate, can we finally see the induction of Lavvie Dilweg? It’s getting ridiculous. There are deserving players that played before 1970 that are still waiting. Dilweg has been waiting the longest.