NFL Hall of Fame 2018: Randy Moss, Ray Lewis looking to get in on first ballot

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2018 will be announced during the NFL Honors awards show on Saturday, Feb. 3. The 15 modern-era finalists will be pared down to the final inductees live on NBC, beginning at 9 p.m. ET (live streaming via NBC Sports).

This year’s class is likely to be headlined by linebacker Ray Lewis, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. Lewis, of course, has a rough history off the field, but his resume on the field is second to none. Similarly, Bran Urlacher of the Chicago Bears is right there with Lewis, and both players seem like strong candidates to make it in their first year of eligibility.

Wide receiver is always a difficult position when it comes to the Hall of Fame, and the voters love to harp on Terrell Owens for the issues he had off the field and in the locker room. He has the resume to make it, but this time around he has Randy Moss to contend with.

Moss is in his first year of eligibility, and it will be interesting to see if he gets in over Owens, who indisputably has the better case when it comes to play on the field. Then there’s Isaac Bruce, one of the most dependable receivers in NFL history, but who probably won’t hang with those other two.

The next two players with the strongest case for making it this year are Brian Dawkins and Alan Faneca. Dawkins, a safety, was the absolute best player at his postion for more than a decade. The same can be said for Faneca, who will likely be getting in at the expense of Steve Hutchinson.

It’s likely that Hutchinson will wind up getting in at some point, but if it’s between him and Faneca, the latter should win. Then there’s Kevin Mawae, a center who gets more and more consideration every year. He should probably make it some time in the future, but again, the competition on the interior of the offensive line is tough.

Former Denver Broncos safety and current San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch is also up for consideration. He’s up as a player, of course, though his first year as general manager did go quite well, landing Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick. The competition between Lynch and Dawkins is just as heated as the one between Faneca and Hutchinson.

Cornerbacks Ty Law and Everson Walls are also competing, but many think Walls, in his final year of eligibility, will finally get his recognition. The most interesting player, in this writer’s opinion, is running back Edgerrin James. It’s not looking like there are a slew of current running backs who will ultimately make the Hall of Fame outside of someone like Frank Gore, and with Terrell Davis getting in, it could help James make his case for a spot.

The two senior finalists this year are linebacker Robert Brazile, formerly of the Houston Oilers, and guard Jerry Kramer, formerly of the Green Bay Packers. Bobby Beathard, a former general manager and personnel man (and grandfather to C.J. Beathard of the 49ers), is the only contributor finalist and should have no troubles making it.

Last year’s class was Kurt Warner, LaDanian Tomlinson, Jason Taylor, Kenny Easley, Terrell Davis and Morten Anderson.