Who is going to be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2018 class?

The Pro Football Hall of Fame inducted its Class of 2017 last week, headlined by former Chargers and Jets running back LaDainian Tomlinson, and former Rams and Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner.

Rounding out the class were Jason Taylor, Terrell Davis, Morten Andersen, Kenny Easley and Jerry Jones — providing a good mix of offensive and defensive players, and even tossing in a specialist and an owner.

The Class of 2018 promises the same, although it’s the wide receiver position that will be the most interesting to watch. After two consecutive snubs, there’s growing unrest about Terrell Owens not getting in. Now he’ll be joined as a candidate by Randy Moss, who boasts many of the same credentials and many of the same negatives too.

Moss is one of many now eligible for the Hall of Fame, but getting in on the first ballot isn’t easy.

To be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, a player must be five years removed from his final NFL season. That means players who haven’t played since 2012 are eligible for the first time.

A preliminary list will be released by the NFL sometime this fall, but here are the most notable names who will be on it:

Ronde Barber (DB) — Buccaneers
Matt Birk (C) — Vikings, Ravens
Donald Driver (WR) — Packers
Casey Hampton (DT) — Steelers
Steve Hutchinson (G) — Seahawks, Vikings, Titans
Ray Lewis (LB) — Ravens
Randy Moss (WR) — Vikings, Raiders, Patriots, Titans, 49ers
Jeff Saturday (C) — Colts, Packers
Richard Seymour (DE) — Patriots, Raiders
Brian Urlacher (LB) — Bears
Adrian Wilson (S) — Cardinals

The headliners on the list are Lewis and Moss. But other players — especially Barber, Hutchinson, and Urlacher — seem like Hall of Famers too.

But voters are typically picky about players who just became eligible. Tomlinson and Taylor were the only two in the Class of 2017 that got in as first-ballot players. The last time there was more than three in a class was all the way in 1970.

There are some notable names on the list, but guys like Birk, Saturday, and Wilson likely won’t get too close to Canton any time soon.

Let’s look at the résumés of the few at the top of the group:

Randy Moss

He was difficult to deal with at times and disinterested at others, but when Moss was at his best, he was unstoppable as any receiver in the history of the game. Moss led the NFL in touchdown receptions five times, including a record-breaking 23 receiving touchdowns with the Patriots in 2007.

Only Jerry Rice caught more touchdowns than Moss, and only Rice and Owens had more yards.

Ray Lewis

No other first-year nominee had more than eight trips to the Pro Bowl. Lewis had 13. He was the heart and soul of the Baltimore Ravens from the first year the team existed and earned AP Defensive Player of the Year twice.

Linebackers don’t show up on the all-time leaderboards often — defensive linemen will record more sacks and defensive backs will record more interceptions — but Lewis’ impact was obvious. The Ravens won two Super Bowls during his career and one was with Trent Dilfer at quarterback.

Brian Urlacher

Urlacher followed in the footsteps of the rough and tough linebackers of another era. His play was reminiscent of Hall of Famers like Mike Singletary, Jack Lambert, and Jack Ham.

He was Defensive Player of the Year once, earned eight trips to the Pro Bowl and, while he never won a Super Bowl, Urlacher anchored a team that got there with Rex Grossman at quarterback.

Steve Hutchinson

From about 2003 to 2009, there was very little doubt in anyone’s mind that Steve Hutchinson was the best interior offensive lineman in football. He earned a spot in the Pro Bowl in all seven seasons during that span and was a first-team All-Pro in five of those years.

His value as a player even created a rule change. The Vikings manipulated the transition tag to steal him away from the Seahawks in 2006 with a “poison pill” clause that was impossible for Seattle to match. Similar clauses have since been outlawed by the league. With Hutchinson in front of Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson, the Vikings made it to the NFC Championship in 2009.

Owens has been eligible for the Hall of Fame for two years and left on the outside looking in both times. In each season he was on the list of 15 finalists, but didn’t make the cut when the list was whittled to 10.

It’s a travesty that’s a topic all its own.

He is one of 23 players since 2004 who have made the list of 25 semifinalists at some point, but haven’t got in. Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders created a handy chart to show how close these players have been to induction:

Don’t expect any player to make the Hall of Fame out of left field. It usually takes years of being a semifinalist or finalist before finally getting the nod.

Only six of the 23 players on Kacsmar’s list have actually advanced to the final 10, and Owens isn’t on that list. Here’s a look at a few of the top candidates to get in who aren’t eligible for the first time:

Tony Boselli

His rise as a candidate came quickly, considering he wasn’t even on the preliminary list in his first year of eligibility in 2008. Like Class of 2017 inductees Kenny Easley and Terrell Davis, Boselli’s case was hurt by a career that only lasted seven seasons.

Boselli was great in those seven years in Jacksonville, though. He was the Jaguars’ first ever draft pick and was a first-team All-Pro for three straight years, anchoring the left side of the offensive line for one of the NFL’s best offenses in the late 1990s. Then shoulder problems cut his career short. Although he was the first player selected by the Texans in the 2002 expansion draft, he never played for Houston before he retired.

John Lynch

Lynch is the only player who made the top 10 twice but isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet. Now he’s the general manager of the 49ers, which probably sheds more light on his candidacy and helps his case.

The Buccaneers already had Derrick Brooks and Warren Sapp go into the Hall of Fame for their contributions to one of the most dominant defenses ever, and Lynch was a large part of that era too. He followed that with four years in Denver, where he earned a spot in the Pro Bowl each season, to round out his career.

Terrell Owens

It seems like Owens not getting into Canton yet has more to do with his personality than his football career. He’s second all-time in receiving yards and third in receiving touchdowns. In many ways, his case for the Hall of Fame mirrors the case for Moss.

It wouldn’t seem right if Moss got in right away and Owens didn’t for a third consecutive year. And it wouldn’t seem right if Owens finally got in but did so at the expense of Moss, who was probably the better player.

But the Hall of Fame is notoriously difficult for wide receivers to crack. Would they really accept two in one year?

Brian Dawkins

It’s not cake walk for safeties to get to Canton, either. And while Dawkins has a strong case with nine Pro Bowls under his belt, he’ll have to deal with a candidacy that will go toe-to-toe with Lynch.

Dawkins was the leader of the Eagles defense for 13 seasons and finished his career with three more in Denver. He racked up 37 interception, 19 fumble recoveries, 26 sacks, and a whole bunch of people intimidated by his dark visor and ferocious demeanor.

The 2018 candidates will include two senior nominees and one contributor. Those three will be revealed before the end of August with the Senior Committee meeting Aug. 24 and the Contributor Committee on Aug. 25.

Like the modern-era finalists, the list of senior and contributor nominees is narrowed to finalists before the committee votes. The difference is that we don’t see those lists of finalists, so predicting who is on the verge of entry is a little more difficult.

The three nominated players will still have to wait until February to find out if they received the 80 percent approval of voters, but they won’t have to battle modern-era finalists for a spot.

The easiest choice for the contributor category is Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, who received an endorsement from Terrell Davis during his speech Saturday.

Bowlen, 73, stepped down from decision-making in the organization in 2014 after he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Since he purchased the team in 1984, the Broncos are 332-204-1 in the regular season and have been to the Super Bowl seven times — winning three of them.

Another possibility to get in as a contributor is former commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who held the position from 1989 until 2006.

Tagliabue joined Jones and Easley as nominees last August, but he was the only one of the three who wasn’t confirmed with a vote in February.

The senior candidates are harder to guess, but the induction of Packers guard Jerry Kramer feels overdue. He’s been close many times and a year where two get nominated may finally be enough to push him over the top.

Other possibilities include Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson, Jets defensive lineman Joe Klecko, Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall, and Steelers outside linebacker Andy Russell.

We’ll know who the senior and contributor nominees are by the end of August, but their confirmation and the rest of the class won’t be decided until the days leading up to Super Bowl 52.

That’s a long time for the voters to lean one way or another, but here’s my stab at the group we’ll hear make acceptance speeches next year:

Tony Boselli: His quick rise to become a top 10 candidate suggests momentum is on his side. The inclusion of Davis and Easley could mean his truncated career is more accepted.

Pat Bowlen: He looks like an eventual Hall of Famer and there’s never going to be a better time than now.

Jerry Kramer: He’s been close forever. Maybe this is finally the year.

Ray Lewis: If there’s a lock for 2018, it’s Lewis.

John Lynch: He’s been close. Now Lynch has a huge platform as 49ers general manager. That’s a good story and the Hall of Fame voters love stories.

Randy Moss: Moss was something truly special. A bust in Canton is a matter of when, not if.

Terrell Owens: How can Moss get in and Owens not?

Andy Russell: He was an eight-time Pro Bowler at outside linebacker for the Steelers and even missed two seasons to join the U.S. Army. He had 18 interceptions, but played in an era that didn’t count sacks.