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Three former NFL players were first-ballot members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year: Peyton Manning, Calvin Johnson, and Charles Woodson. The first year of eligibility for players occurs five years after their retirement. For the 2022 Hall of Fame class, players who retired in 2016 will be in their first year of eligibility. There could be zero first-ballots in this year's class or there could be several. It is up to the committee to vote in players with the necessary 80% approval. Nine notable NFL players could be first-ballot members for 2022.
Which NFL player can be a first-ballot in 2022 Hall of Fame
#1 - WR Anquan Boldin
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- Arizona Cardinals 03-09, Baltimore Ravens 10-12, San Francisco 49ers 13-15, Detroit Lions 16
- Super Bowl XLVII winner with Ravens, NFL Offensive Rookie of Year in 2003, three Pro Bowls
- Career - 13,779 receiving yards, 80 TDs, 1,076 catches, seven 1,000 yard seasons
- Records - Most catches as rookie (101), most yards in first NFL game (271), three Arizona team records, one Baltimore team record
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, but Boldin will be in at some point for his accomplishments as a rookie and 14th in career yards.
#2 - LB Chad Greenway
- Minnesota Vikings 06-16
- Two Pro Bowls, 2nd-Team All-Pro in 2012, NFL leader in combined tackles in 2010
- Career - 1,101 tackles, 18 sacks, eight forced fumbles, 11 INTs, 32 passes defended
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, and it could be a long ways down the road until Greenway gets a gold jacket. There are more prolific players ahead of him first.
#3 - WR Andre Johnson
- Houston Texans 03-14, Indianapolis Colts 15, Tennessee Titans 16
- 3x 1st-Team All-Pro, 2x 2nd-Team All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, 2x reception leader, 2x receiving yard leader
- Career - 1,062 catches, 14,185 yards, 70 TDs, seven 1,000 yards seasons
- Records - only player with 60+ catches in 1st eight seasons, most games with 10+ catches in season (7), most seasons with 100+ catches (5), most games with 10+ catches in career, 8 Houston team records
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, but Johnson should go in when Anquon Boldin done as one of best WRs in his era
#4 - DE/LB Mario Williams
- Houston Texans 06-11, Buffalo Bills 12-15, Miami Dolphins 16
- 4x Pro Bowl, 1st-Team All-Pro in 2014, 2x 2nd-Team All-Pro
- Career - 399 tackles, 97.5 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, 21 passes defended
- Records - Houston's second in career sacks (54) and second in career forced fumbles (11), both since broken by JJ Watt
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, and Mario Williams will have to wait a couple years to meet David Baker
#5 - QB Tony Romo
- Dallas Cowboys 03-16
- 2nd-Team All-Pro in 2014, 4x Pro Bowl, season passer rating leader, season completion percentage leader, College Football Hall of Fame
- Career - 65.3% completion, 34,183 passing yards, 248 TDs, 117 INTs, 97.1 QB rating, 78-49 record, 2-4 in playoffs
- Records - Most consecutive road games with at least 1 TD (41), highest career QB rating in fourth quarter, most games in a season with a passer rating of at least 135, 6 career Dallas records, 6 season Dallas records, 3 game Dallas records
- Future first-balltot Hall of Fame? You would think, but no. Tony Romo should go to the Hall of Fame in 2023 or 2024 but falls just short of 2022.
#6 - DE Robert Mathis
- Indianapolis Colts 03-16
- Super Bowl XLI win, 5x Pro Bowl, 1st-Team All-Pro in 2013, 100 sack club, AFC Defensive Player of Year in 2013, sack leader in 2013
- Career - 527 tackles, 123 sacks, 52 forced fumbles, 1 INT, 3 TD, 27th in career sacks, 5x double-digit sack seasons
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, but only because he gets jumped by the next person on the list,
#7 - LB DeMarcus Ware
- Dallas Cowboys 05-13, Denver Broncos 14-16
- Super Bowl 50 with Denver, 4x 1st-Team All-Pro, 3x 2nd-Team All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl, 2x sack leader (tied most in history)
- Career - 654 tackles, 138.5 sacks, 35 forced fumbles, 3 INTs, 26th in career sacks
- Records - Third player with 10+ sacks in at least seven seasons, fastest player to 100 sacks, 8 seasons with double-digit sacks, all-time Dallas Cowboys leader in sacks, forced fumbles, tackles for loss, QB hits
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? Yes, DeMarcus Ware's early years with the Dallas Cowboys were impressive and he was one of the best edge-rushers of his era. He will be a fine member of the Hall of Fame.
#8 - WR Steve Smith Sr
- Carolina Panthers 01-13, Baltimore Ravens 14-16
- NFL Comeback Player of Year in 2005, 2x 1st-Team All-Pro, 2nd-Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl, 2005 leader in receptions, receiving yards, receiving TDs
- Career - 1,031 catches, 14,731 yards, 81 TDs, 4,055 return yards, 6 return TDs, eight 1,000 yard seasons, 8th in career yards, 12th in career receptions
- Records - highest punt return average in a game (51), as of 2017, he owns 72 Carolina Panthers records
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? Yes, Steve Smith is the last Triple Crown player (led in catches, yards, and TDs in same year) and 8th in career receiving yards and the top seven are all in Hall of Fame
#9 - Vince Wilfork
- New England Patriots 04-14, Houston Texans 15-16
- 2x Super Bowl, 1st-Team All-Pro, 3x 2nd-Team All-Pro, 5x Pro Bowl
- Career - 559 tackles, 16 sacks, four forced fumbles, three INTs
- Future first-ballot Hall of Fame? No, and being a part of the Patriots during their Super Bowl runs does help his case, but there's not enough there for Wilfork to make the Hall of Fame.
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