The Pro Football Hall of Fame has narrowed its list of finalists to 15 former players, from which voters will choose up to five ex-players for enshrinement in Canton. The HOF will announce its selections during the NFL Honors ceremony, which takes place Thursday evening. As the NFL chooses its best of the best, here are our 2023 Hall of Fame predictions.
Predicting the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Class
Joe Thomas
The lock of all locks, Joe Thomas should be a shoo-in for this year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class. The longtime Cleveland Brown was the best offensive tackle of his generation and the only player eligible for induction in 2023 to have been unanimously selected to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team.
Thomas holds the NFL’s unofficial record with 10,363 consecutive snaps. He didn’t miss a single play from the start of his career in 2007 until he suffered a triceps injury in 2017. Thomas is the NFL’s iron man, and he continued to battle snap after snap despite playing for a Browns team that never made the playoffs during his career.
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The third overall pick in the 2007 draft, Thomas was a six-time first-team All-Pro, two-time second-team All-Pro, and 10-time Pro Bowler. He even came in second in Rookie of the Year voting in his debut campaign, a rarity for an offensive lineman. Thomas is already in the College Football Hall of Fame — now it’s time for him to claim his gold jacket.
Darrelle Revis
It’s not often that the Pro Football Hall of Fame inducts two players in their first year on the ballot, but Thomas and Darrelle Revis were that dominant in their era. Selected 11 picks after Thomas in the 2007 draft, Revis also snagged a spot on the NFL’s All-2010s team.
“Revis Island” became a place where no opposing wide receiver wanted to get stranded. The former Pitt Panther routinely shut down passing attacks, and while Revis never posted gaudy interception totals, that was only because quarterbacks essentially refused to target him. Offensive coordinators had to game plan around Revis each and every week.
Revis, who mastered the business aspect of football and used free agency to his repeated advantage, earned four first-team All-Pro nods over 11 NFL seasons with the Jets, Buccaneers, Patriots, and Chiefs.
Torry Holt
This year’s Pro Football Hall of Fame class includes three wide receivers worthy of enshrinement: Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, and Reggie Wayne.
Of the three, Wayne posted the most receptions, yardage, and touchdowns, but he played in 18 more games than Johnson and 38 more games than Holt. There’s something to be said for Wayne’s longevity, but peak performance is important, too — and that’s where Holt shines.
Every other member of the Rams’ electric early-2000s offense is already in the HOF, so it only makes sense that Holt will join Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce, and Orlando Pace in the Hall.
Holt earned seven Pro Bowl nods and a Super Bowl ring during his 11-year career. He’s currently 17th all-time in receiving yardage, and he posted eight consecutive seasons with at least 1,110 yards. Holt led the NFL in receiving yards in both 2000 and 2003.
Johnson and Wayne should both eventually get into the Hall of Fame, but Holt has been retired since 2009, so it’s fair to assume Canton will reward him first.
DeMarcus Ware
There’s a case to be made that Dwight Freeney should earn a Hall of Fame plaque before DeMarcus Ware. Along with Tom Brady (not yet eligible) and fullback Lorenzo Neal, Freeney is one of just three first-team members of the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade roster to not yet be enshrined in Canton.
Yet, 2023 marks Freeney’s first year on the HOF ballot. Typically, players will have had to define their generations — like Revis and Thomas — to gain entry on their first try, and I’m not quite sure Freeney is at that level.
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Instead, Hall of Fame voters could turn to another pass rusher in Ware, who is in his second year of eligibility. Ware’s 138.5 sacks rank ninth all-time on the NFL’s official list, and he led the league in sacks twice (2008 and 2010).
Ware, who spent nine seasons in Dallas to begin his career, would join an illustrious list of Cowboys in the Hall of Fame, including Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin. While he never won a Super Bowl with the Cowboys, Ware did pick up a ring with the Broncos after the 2015 season.
Zach Thomas
The final slot in the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame class could be filled by any number of worthy candidates. Canton could go with another wideout like Johnson or Wayne, an elite defensive back such as Ronde Barber, or a dominant specialist like Devin Hester, who changed the state of the NFL return game.
But in the end, I think the HOF will reward former Dolphins linebacker Zach Thomas, who’s been waiting for enshrinement since retiring in 2008. The only other finalists who have been waiting longer are safety Darren Woodson and cornerback Albert Lewis, neither of whom have Thomas’ record of production.
Thomas has been a finalist in each of the last three years, so there is clearly support for the longtime Miami LB. He earned five first-team All-Pro berths, two second-team nods, and seven Pro Bowl selections. Thomas led the league in tackles twice and ranks fifth all-time in tackles.
Eligible Players on the 2023 Ballot
- Jared Allen, Defensive End (2004-2015)
- Willie Anderson, Offensive Tackle (1996-2008)
- Ronde Barber, Defensive Back (1997-2012)
- Dwight Freeney, Defensive End (2002-2017)
- Devin Hester, Wide Receiver/Returner (2006-2016)
- Torry Holt, Wide Receiver (1999-2009)
- Andre Johnson, Wide Receiver (2003-2016)
- Albert Lewis, Cornerback (1983-1998)
- Darrelle Revis, Cornerback (2007-2017)
- Joe Thomas, Offensive Tackle (2007-2017)
- Zach Thomas, Linebacker (1996-2008)
- DeMarcus Ware, Defensive End (2005-2016)
- Reggie Wayne, Wide Receiver (2001-2014)
- Patrick Willis, Linebacker (2007-2014)
- Darren Woodson, Safety (1992-2003)