Drafted by Pittsburgh in the first round of the 1998 draft, Faneca spent 10 seasons with the Steelers, blocking for Hall of Fame RB Jerome Bettis and Willie Parker, who earned a combined seven 1,000-yard seasons running behind the grandiose guard. The six-time first-team All-Pro was already named to the 2000s All-Decade Team. Faneca, an intimidating fixture of the early-aughts Steelers, was voted into the Hall of Fame in his sixth year of eligibility and as a finalist. Despite his unusually short career, Megatron will enter the Hall in his first year of eligibility and at the age of 35, eight years younger than a certain QB playing on Sunday.Īlan Faneca: One of the 21st century's most decorated offensive linemen just earned a gold jacket after years with the Black and Gold. A three-time first-team All-Pro and a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team - despite not playing in the decade's final four years - Johnson finished his career second in NFL history with 86.1 receiving YPG, a testament to his reliable productivity. Megatron led the league in receiving yards (11,619) and TDs (83) during the span of his career and set the NFL single-season record for receiving yards (1,964) in 2012. Paired with Matthew Stafford, Johnson transformed a moribund Detroit franchise into a competitive one during his nine-year career, though the 2007 second-overall experienced more personal than team success (zero playoff wins) in Detroit. You'd be hard-pressed to find one with a better nickname, too: Megatron. In his first year of eligibility, the great corner-turned-safety was safely inducted into the Hall.Ĭalvin Johnson: No receiver was more consistently dominant or physically imposing during his time in professional football than Johnson. Woodson returned to Oakland for his final three seasons and retired following the 2015 season, with 65 career INTs (fifth all-time) and 13 defensive TDs (most all-time) and as one of three players in league history with at least 25 picks with two different franchises. Woodson won his lone Super Bowl with Green Bay the following season, his second appearance in the Big Game, though he was knocked out halfway through the victory with a broken collarbone. Woodson was a three-time first-team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler over the course of his career and also was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2009, his fourth of seven seasons with the Packers. The fourth-overall pick in the 1998 draft and reigning Heisman Trophy winner, Woodson immediately took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors with the Raiders. A Walter Payton Man of the Year to boot, Manning's legacy on and off the field is incalculable, but this gold jacket was inevitable.Ĭharles Woodson: The preeminent defensive back of his era, Woodson spent nearly two decades in the NFL, bookending his prolific career as one of my most respected defenders to ever play the game. Manning ranks in the top five of numerous categories: wins (200, second), passing yards (71,940, third), passing TDs (539, third), completions (6,125, fourth) and game-winning drives (54, first). In Denver, he won Comeback Player of the Year, set the single-season passing TD record (55) in 2013 and helped lead the Broncos to a victory in Super Bowl 50, becoming the only starting QB to win Super Bowls with two different franchises. After sitting out an entire season with a neck injury, Manning joined the Broncos in free agency in 2012. But Manning finally won a Super Bowl in 2006 (XLI) and made another three years later. A 14-time Pro Bowler, seven-time first-team All-Pro and five-time NFL MVP, Manning long saw the Lombardi Trophy elude his grasp, instead watching his rival Tom Brady claim it early and often in the 2000s. The son of Archie and the brother of Eli made a name for himself as the ultimate field general at the line of scrimmage, reading defenses with ease, changing plays under center and directing and re-directing his teammates, such as Hall of Famers Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James, Reggie Wayne and Demaryius Thomas, in real time. 1 pick of the 1998 draft by the Colts, Manning "changed the skyline" in Indianapolis, as David Letterman once put it. And why not? What more do you say about the quarterback who's accomplished everything? The No. Peyton Manning: When the Hall of Fame Selection Committee met in January to nominate this year's inductees, Colts beat writer Mike Chappell spent no more than 13 seconds pleading Manning's case.
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