Lorenzo Neal spent most of his career blocking and handled just 226 carries in 239 games. He played for the New Orleans Saints (1993-1996), New York Jets (1997), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1998), Tennessee Titans (1999-2000), Cincinnati Bengals (2001-2002), San Diego Chargers (2003-2007), and the Baltimore Ravens (2008). Neal paved the way for a 1,000-yard running back in 11 consecutive seasons from 1997 to 2007. He was LaDainian Tomlinson’s fullback for five years in San Diego, helping the Hall of Famer to his best seasons, including a 2006 campaign in which Tomlinson set the NFL rushing TD record while winning MVP and Offensive Player of the Year.
One of the more consistent pass rushers of his era, John Abraham seems to be somewhat forgotten now that his final NFL season is a decade in the rearview mirror. He played for the New York Jets (2000-2005), Atlanta Falcons (2006-2012), and the Arizona Cardinals (2013-2014). Abraham ranks 13th on the NFL’s official all-time sack list and 18th on the unofficial rankings, which count sacks before 1982. He was a four-time All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowler, and posted double-digit sacks in eight campaigns, including his last full season with the Cardinals in 2013. And yet, he’s never been named a semifinalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
While Justin Smith never put up more than 8.5 sacks in a single season, his job wasn’t always to generate pressure on his own. After leaving the Bengals and joining the Niners in 2008, Smith became a 3-4 defensive end and used his high motor and fantastic strength to occupy multiple blockers, creating tackling runways for San Francisco’s linebackers. Smith didn’t get much recognition until he signed with the 49ers, earning his first Pro Bowl at the age of 30 and his first All-Pro nod at 32.
Cut by the Cowboys and Eagles before becoming a franchise icon for the Jaguars, Jimmy Smith eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in nine of his final 10 seasons in Jacksonville. From 1996 to 2005, Smith ranked second among NFL wideouts in receptions (84) and yards (1,421), trailing only the Indianapolis Colts’ Marvin Harrison Sr. in both categories. While Smith never posted the touchdown production of other elite receivers during his era, he was a consistent pass-catching force for a run-heavy Jags club.
Although Simeon Rice probably wasn’t a Hall of Fame-caliber pass rusher, he’s squarely in the Hall of Very Good. In his career, he played for Arizona Cardinals (1996-2000), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001-2006), Indianapolis Colts (2007), and Denver Broncos (2007). Rice finished with 122 career sacks, at least 15 sacks three times, and 10+ sacks in eight of his 12 NFL seasons. The NFL’s 1996 Defensive Rookie of the Year Rice earned three All-Pro nods and was the sack leader of the legendary 2002 Buccaneers defense that won the Super Bowl and allowed just 12.4 points per game.
Jared Allen has missed out on the Hall of Fame for four straight seasons. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs (2004-2007), Minnesota Vikings (2008-2013), Chicago Bears (2014-2015), and Carolina Panthers (2015). A finalist in 2024, Allen was left out in favor of fellow defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Julius Peppers. While he seems likely to get into Canton at some point, the fact that it’s taken this long means Allen is underrated — because he should’ve been viewed as something of a shoo-in. Allen is the only eligible player among the NFL’s top 12 all-time sack leaders who is not in the Hall of Fame. His 136 sacks include his dominant 2011 campaign when Allen led the league with 22 sacks and probably should’ve won DPOY instead of Terrell Suggs.
A HOF finalist for the past two years, Jahri Evans has a chance to grab a gold jacket in the future, although guards are often overlooked in the selection process. He played for the New Orleans Saints (2006-2016) and Green Bay Packers (2017). Evans was undoubtedly the best player at his position for several seasons, earning All-Pro honors every year from 2009 to 2013. But he boasted longevity and availability, too, missing just nine games over his 12-year career. Evans, a member of the Super Bowl 44-winning Saints, is now an offensive assistant on New Orleans’ staff.
Had he not torn the ACL in both knees, Jamaal Charles may very well be in the Hall of Fame already. Charles is the league’s all-time leader in yards per carry (5.4) among RBs with a minimum of 1,000 career attempts. A fantasy football darling, Charles totaled 1,300+ scrimmage yards five times and scored double-digit TDs twice. And remember, he wasn’t managing this production with Patrick Mahomes under center in Kansas City. Charles was electric even while working with Chiefs QBs such as Tyler Thigpen, Matt Cassel, and Brady Quinn.
Kevin Williams claimed five first-team All-Pro berths in six seasons from 2004 to 2009. He rarely missed time for the 2000s Vikings, working alongside Pat Williams on “The Williams Wall” to form one of the league’s most dominant run defenses. Apart from the Vikings, he was also a part of the Seattle Seahawks (2014), New Orleans Saints (2015). A member of the NFL’s 2000s All-Decade Team, Williams deserves to be in the HOF — but whether he ever makes it remains unclear.
NaVorro Bowman is the defensive version of Jamaal Charles. How legendary could the former 49ers linebacker have been if he could’ve stayed healthy and/or played longer? Often overshadowed by fellow San Francisco LB Patrick Willis, Bowman earned first-team All-Pro honors in his first four fully healthy seasons as a starter. However, he tore his ACL and MCL in 2014 and then ruptured his Achilles in 2016. In 2017, Bowman oddly requested his release from the Niners, spent the rest of the season with the Raiders, then abruptly retired.
While he wasn’t one of the NFL’s truly elite receivers during an era that included Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Calvin Johnson, and teammate Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin sure was a lot of fun to watch. Apart from his time at Detroit, he also played for the Arizona Cardinals (2003-2009), Baltimore Ravens (2010-2012), and San Francisco 49ers (2013-2015) in his 13-year long career. At 6’1″ and 220 pounds, Boldin was incredibly physical and always willing to fight for catches in traffic. An excellent route runner unafraid to go over the middle, Boldin only grabbed three Pro Bowl nods but topped 1,000 receiving yards in seven seasons.
A six-time Hall of Fame finalist, L.C. Greenwood will need the Veteran’s Committee to put him in Canton at this point — and he should arguably be in. While the NFL has only officially counted sacks since 1982, Pro Football Reference unveiled an unofficial sack list in 2021 that dates back to 1960, “based upon review of official play-by-plays, watching game film, photographs, and coaches’ stats.” Greenwood finished with 78 career sacks after that review, a half-sack ahead of teammate and Steel Curtain Hall of Fame representative “Mean” Joe Greene. However, with Greene, CB Mel Blount, LB Jack Lambert, LB Jack Ham, and safety Donnie Shell already in the HOF, Greenwood might not stand a chance.
Former Bengals QB Ken Anderson’s lack of a Super Bowl title will always hinder him in any Hall of Fame discussion, but the longtime Bengals quarterback was undoubtedly one of the NFL’s best signal-callers of the 1970s and 1980s. Anderson won the 1981 MVP award, Offensive Player of the Year, and took Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance while leading the league in touchdown rate (6.1%), interception rate (2.1%), passer rating (98.4), and adjusted net yards per attempt (7.43).
Henry Ellard is 14th among WRs on the NFL’s all-time receiving list with 13,777 yards. He played for the Los Angeles Rams (1983-1993), Washington (1994-1998), and the New England Patriots (1998). The only wideouts ahead who aren’t yet in the Hall of Fame are Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Smith Sr., Reggie Wayne (all of whom should get there eventually), and Anquan Boldin (who was No. 5 on our underrated list). All those other WRs’ careers started after Ellard’s NFL tenure had already concluded. Ellard played in a much different era of professional football, an era before league rules were changed to benefit and protect wideouts. Posting seven 1,000+ yard seasons was different in the late 1980s and early 1990s than in the 2000s and beyond. Ellard never even made the HOF semifinalist cut by 2023 and now must be selected by the veteran’s committee. His lack of awards (two first-team All-Pros and two Pro Bowls) hurts him, but Ellard has the production.
Will Philip Rivers eventually make his way into the Hall of Fame once he’s eligible? Probably not. He’s likely to be overshadowed not only by Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning (his more successful 2004 NFL Draft classmates) but by the other iconic quarterbacks of his era like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees. Rivers doesn’t have a Super Bowl title or appearance, which will undoubtedly hurt his case, especially as he vies against QBs such as Roethlisberger and the younger Manning, who have two Lombardis each. But Rivers is a HOFer by almost any other measure. He’s sixth all-time in passing yards (63,440) and touchdowns (421).
