Image via Complex Original
From an early age, pee-wee football players dream of playing in the NFL. By the time they make it through the high school ranks, few are able to take their talents to the collegiate level. Even fewer can play for a Division I or Division II football program, and just a fraction of those players go on to play professionally. It’s a long and grueling road to reach the NFL, and for those that do make it, they typically last three seasons, on average. That’s why putting together a Hall of Fame career is incredibly impressive. You need supreme skill, health, longevity, and quite frankly, some luck.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 current NFL players who will one day find themselves in Canton, Ohio, at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We valued All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections over Super Bowl victories, and we omitted guys who are Hall of Fame locks, such as Mr. Tom Brady.
Here’s to those one in a (multi) million football players.
Aaron Rodgers
State Line: 2x MVP, 5x Pro Bowl, 3x All-Pro, 2x Passer Rating Leader, Super Bowl Winner, Super Bowl MVP
Aaron Rodgers has done it all, and then some. In the most crucial moments of the game, Rogers always makes the right reads, and more importantly, the right throws. His stellar accuracy and decision-making have helped him lead the league in TD/INT ratio and Passer Rating, twice. His poise, efficiency, and leadership make him one of the best in the game today, and a sure-fire Hall of Famer.
Adrian Peterson
Stat Line: MVP, Offensive POY, 7x All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, 3x Rushing Leader
Another guy with a league MVP and impressive resume under his belt is Adrian “All Day” Peterson. Drafted seventh overall by the Minnesota Vikings, Peterson has racked up three rushing titles, and numerous All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. In 2012, Peterson went on a tear and rushed for 2,097 yards, coming extremely close to breaking the single-season record of 2,105 yards rushing held by Eric Dickerson. His strong north-south running style has made him one of the best running backs over the last decade.
Larry Fitzgerald
Stat Line: 3x All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl, 10,000 Receiving Yards Club
Consistency. Consistency. Consistency. That word has become synonymous with Larry Fitzgerald. Despite being without a Super Bowl victory (thanks to a James Harrison 100-yard interception return TD and some late-game heroics by Big Ben and Santonio Holmes in Super Bowl XLIII), Fitzgerald has churned out a remarkable career. He’s 15th all-time in reception yards, and his nine Pro-Bowl selections prove that he’s been able to get it done year after year. Last season, the 32-year-old caught a career-high 109 passes. The man is a machine, and he doesn’t seem to be slowing down at all.
Darrelle Revis
Stat Line: 4x All-Pro, 7x Pro Bowl, Super Bowl Winner
Growing up in the Pittsburgh suburb of Aliquippa, Pa., Darrelle Revis learned how to play high-level football at an early age. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the first round of the 2007 draft, and quickly earned the nickname “Revis Island” for being a top shutdown cornerback in the NFL. His career is studded with four first-team All-Pro selections, seven Pro Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl victory in 2015 with the Patriots. He’s now back in a Jets uniform and will look to re-create those magical early years with the team.
Joe Thomas
Stat Line: 8x All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl
The Cleveland Browns have had some struggles over the last decade, but if there’s one thing they’ve done right, it was drafting Joe Thomas. Widely regarded as one of the best offensive tackles in the game today, he's played and started in every single game since 2007. His six first-team All-Pro selections trail only Peyton Manning with his NFL record of seven. Thomas is the only offensive lineman in NFL history to make nine straight Pro Bowls to start his career.
Antonio Brown
Stat Line: 3x All-Pro, 4x Pro Bowl, 2x Reception Leader
Antonio Brown might not have the accolades of some other players on this list, but his route-running sets him apart as the NFL’s most dominant wide receiver. He’s already led the league in receiving yards, twice, with his phenomenal set of hands and lightning-quick feet. His haircuts, style, and outstanding on-field abilities make Brown a fan favorite. Don’t be surprised when you see him in Canton one day.
DeMarcus Ware
Stat Line: 7x All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl, 2x Sack Leader, Super Bowl Winner
If anyone can prove that age is just a number, it’s DeMarcus Ware. At 32, Ware is in the prime of his career, and he just helped the top-ranked Broncos defense send Peyton Manning off into the sunset with a Lombardi Trophy. Ware played for the Dallas Cowboys for the first nine seasons of his career and constantly produced. The two-time season sack leader has racked up seven All-Pro and nine Pro Bowl selections. With 134.5 career sacks, he sits at 11th all-time and will one day find himself in the NFL Hall of Fame.
Drew Brees
Stat Line: 4x All-Pro, 9x Pro Bowl, 2x Offensive POY, 6x Passing Yards Leader, 4x Passing TD Leader, Super Bowl Winner, Super Bowl MVP
Brees has been a special talent his whole life, and he showcased it in his college days at Purdue where he set the Big Ten record for completions (1,026), yards (11,792), and touchdowns (90). Since being drafted, he’s led the league in passing six times, been selected to nine Pro Bowls, and led the Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2009. For being shorter than the average QB (he stands at a pedestrian 6 feet tall), his vision and accuracy set himself apart from the field. He is the NFL all-time leader in competition percentage and holds numerous other NFL records.
Adam Vinatieri
Stat Line: 3x All-Pro, 3x Pro Bowl, 4x Super Bowl Winner
Kickers in the NFL don’t get enough love, and there is no one more deserving of a Hall of Fame selection on this list than Adam Vinatieri. It won’t be All-Pro or Pro Bowl selections, or the fact that he sits third all-time in points scored, that defines his legacy. He’ll be remembered for drilling not one, but two game-winning field goals in the Super Bowl as a member of the Patriots in the early 2000s. In fact, his late-game heroics gave him the nickname Mr. Clutch. After helping lead the Pats to three Super Bowl victories (you can be sure Tom Brady will be thanking Vinatieri during his Hall of Fame speech), he went on to play for the Colts and is currently the only player to score 1,000 points for two teams. At 43 years of age, Vinatieri, the oldest active player in the NFL, signed a two-year contract extension with the Colts.
J.J. Watt
Stat Line: 3x Defensive POY, 4x All-pro, 4x Pro Bowl, 2x Sack Leader
J.J. Watt might be the youngest player on this list, but no one can doubt his inhuman, Hall of Fame-worthy abilities. In his five professional seasons, Watt is already a four-time first-team All-Pro selectee. As a two-star recruit in high school, scouts wanted him to play tight end and use his 6-foot-5 frame to catch footballs and truck through defenders. Watt had other plans. He walked onto the Wisconsin football team as a defensive lineman and proved everyone wrong by earning Defensive Player of the Year honors three times. Three. His success at the collegiate level has certainly translated to the pros, as he’s the only NFL player to record two, 20-plus sack seasons. J.J. Watt is on pace to becoming one the best defensive lineman of all time. Even at the tender age of 27, he’s already a lock for the Hall of the Fame.
Be sure to check out the new series ‘Friday Night Tykes: Steel Country,’ hometown to some of NFL’s greatest legends, Tuesdays at 10|9c only on Esquire Network.