Which of the final Class of 2022 nominees could become first-ballot Hall of Famers?
The Pro Football Hall of Fame has revealed 26 semifinalists for the Class of 2022. The list will be cut down to 15 finalists in a few months.
The initial list features seven former NFL stars who are eligible for the first time. That means we could have a long list of first-ballot Hall of Famers as part of this class.
Let's go through these seven players to see who has a great shot of getting inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first attempt.
Breaking down potential first-ballot Hall of Famers in 2022
Anquan Boldin, wide receiver
Anquan Boldin played in the NFL from 2003-2016 and won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens. He also made three Pro Bowls throughout his career that saw him play with four different teams.
Former Ravens wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Steve Smith Sr. are among the 26 modern-era semifinalists for the @ProFootballHOF Class of 2022.
Boldin seems like a long shot to get into the Hall of Fame on his first try. While he does rank 14th all-time in receiving yards, he was never an All-Pro throughout his career, which is more telling than any Pro Bowl nod.
One benefit for Boldin is his 13,779 career receiving yards. He may get inducted one day, but it would be unlikely for his career to be considered good enough to warrant a first-ballot induction.
Andre Johnson, wide receiver
Andre Johnson has an interesting case for the Hall of Fame. He currently ranks 11th all-time in receiving yards with 14,185 and made four All-Pro teams throughout his career, in addition to seven Pro Bowls.
Johnson led the NFL in receiving yards twice and went over 1,500 yards in a season three times. However, his career lacks that signature moment because he played on some average and also bad Houston Texans teams. Even with such an illustrious career, he only played in four playoff games.
Being so high on the all-time yardage list makes Johnson a toss-up for induction this year. However, his case may only get stronger with time as people look back on his numbers with the bad Texans teams of old.
Steve Smith, wide receiver
Steve Smith has the best chance of getting into the Hall of Fame in 2022 out of this group of receivers. He is eighth all-time in receiving with 14,731 yards and made three All-Pro teams in his career.
How Smith continued to be relevant throughout his entire career remains impressive. He had a 1,000-yard year at the age of 35 with the Baltimore Ravens when his career was coming to a close. That came nearly a decade after he led the league in receiving with the Carolina Panthers.
A Super Bowl ring eluded Smith, but he was still on some talented teams that made it deep into the postseason. His standing on the all-time list should be enough to get him in, either in 2022 or 2023.