By Marc Lawrence, PlaybookSports.com — The NFL welcomed eight former players into the Hall of Fame Saturday, and while it was a full house of inductees, they were all well deserved.
But as ESPN insists there are a slew of eligible former players who will still be waiting for their enshrinement in Canton, Ohio.
No, they won’t be first-time ballot Hall of Famers like Joe Thomas and Darrelle Revise were on Saturday, but their time is coming.
With it, my top three choices of those awaiting the call are as follows…
Roger Craig: He was a three-time Super Bowl winner and the only player to score three TDs in a Super Bowl game. He was also most notably the first player in NFL history with 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in a season. He is a four-time Pro Bowler; his time is coming.
Dwight Freeney: The seven-time Pro Bowler appeared in three Super Bowls. He finished his career with 125.5 sacks, including 13 in his rookie year. He also finished his career with 47 career force fumbles which ranks fourth best since 2000.
Steve Smith: It was a toss-up with Hines Ward, but with eight seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards, Smith holds the Panthers franchise all-time record in targets (1,440), receptions (836), receiving yards (12,197) and receiving touchdowns (67).
