We have added more names on the Notinhalloffame.com site on the 2027 Football Futures.  These football players will first be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027.  We encourage you to vote and give your opinions on their respective HOF credentials.

The added names are:

Adrian Peterson:  Peterson was one of the most successful Running Backs of all-time and a former Rookie of the Year, MVP and a three-time Rushing Yards leader.  AP went to seven Pro Bowls, was a four-time First Team All-Pro, and rushed for 14,918 Yards and 126 Touchdowns.

A.J. Bouye: Bouye played at Cornerback where he was a Pro Bowl Selection in 2017.

Ali Marpet: Marpet played 101 Games as an Offensive Lineman. He was a one-time Pro Bowler and won a Super Bowl with Tampa Bay.

Antonio Brown:  The controversial Wide Receiver was a 2010s All-Decade Selection and was a seven-time Pro Bowl and four-time First Team All-Pro.  Brown secured 12,291 Yards with 83 Touchdowns.

Benadrick McKinney:  The Linebacker was named to the Pro Bowl in 2018.

Byron Jones:  Jones played as a Defensive Back for Dallas and Jacksonville and was named to one Pro Bowl.

Cam Newton:  Newton won the 2015 MVP and Offensive Player of the Year and took the Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl.  He threw for 32,383 Yards and 194 Touchdowns and rushed for 75 TDs and 5,628 Yards.

Dee Ford: Ford was a Linebacker who, in 2018, led the league in Forced Fumbles and was also named to the Pro Bowl.

Desmond Trufant:  Trufant played at Cornerback and was a one-time Pro Bowl Selection.

Dont’a Hightower: Hightower played his entire NFL career with the New England Patriots.  The Linebacker won three Super Bowls and was twice named to the Pro Bowl.

Dustin Colquitt: Colquitt played most of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.  The Punter won a Super Bowl and was twice named to the Pro Bowl.

Eric Ebron:  The Tight End was a Pro Bowler in 2019 and scored 33 Touchdowns.

Everson Griffen:  A Minnesota Viking for most of his career, Griffen played at Defensive End and had 85.5 Sacks.  Griffen was chosen for four Pro Bowls.

Gerald McCoy:  McCoy played most of his career with Tampa Bay where the Defensive Tackle went to five Pro Bowls and was  three-time First Team All-Pro.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix:  Known mostly for his time in Green Bay Clinton-Dix was a Free Safety was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016.

Jack Doyle:  Doyle played at Tight End and was an Indianapolis Colt throughout his career.  He was a Pro Bowl Selection twice.

Jared Cook:  Cook was a two-time Pro Bowl Tight End.

Le’Veon Bell:  Bell was a two-time First Team All-Pro and two-time Pro Bowl Selection at Running Back and he rushed for over 6,000 Yards.

Mike Daniels:  The Defensive End went to one Pro Bowl when he was a member of the Green Bay Packers.

Richard Sherman:  Charismatic, brash and a major all-around talent, Sherman was a dominant Cornerback who won a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.  He also was a here-time First Team All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowl, one-time Interception leader and twice led the NFL in Approximate Value.

Rob Gronkowski:  Names to the NFL 100^th Anniversary Team, Gronkowski won four Super Bowls (three with New England and one with Tampa) and the Tight End also was a five-time First Team All-Pro, a five-time Pro Bowl Selection and scored 93 Touchdowns.

Sheldon Richardson:  Richardson won the AP Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl the following year, but that would be all the accolades that the Defensive Tackle would accrue.

These names join Alejandro Villanueva, Alex Mack, Andrew Whitworth, Ben Roethlisberger, Brandon Brooks, Emmanuel Sanders, Eric Weddle, Joe Haden, K.J. Wright, Malcolm Jenkins, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Kerrigan and Sam Koch.

You can find the entire list of 2027 eligible football players here.

As always, we here at Notinhalloffame.com thank you for your support!

Don't'a Hightower played for the two-time National Champion team in college at Alabama. It must have been a great feeling for him to get drafted to another powerful team like the New England Patriots. He was selected as the 28th Overall Pick in 2012. During training camp, the All-American won the starting strongside Linebacker position under Bill Belichick. Hightower played an important role in the New England defence and later moved to the weak side while still excelling in his position.

Hightower contributed significantly to the Patriots' success in the 2010s, helping them win three Super Bowls and earning two Pro Bowl selections along the way. However, he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19. He made a solid comeback in 2021, but it was his final year as a Patriot. Hightower left New England with 27 Sacks and 569 Combined Tackles.

Following Devin McCourty, we have another significant New England Patriot who has announced his retirement in Dont’a Hightower.

Hightower was the 28^thOverall Pick in 2012, and the All-American from Alabama won the starting strongside Linebacker in training camp for Bill Belichick.  Hightower became a dependable part of the New England defense, later moving to the weak side, but always excellent in his role.   

A large part of the Patriots' success in the 2010s, Hightower helped New England win three Super Bowls, most notably with a strip sack that sparked the Patriots comeback against Atlanta in SB LI.   Along the way, the man nicknamed “Mr. February” collected two Pro Bowls along the way.

After opting out the 2020 Season due to COVID-19, Hightower came back with a solid 2021, but that was the final year for him as a Patriot.  Hightower left New England with 27 Sacks and 569 Combined Tackles.

Hightower, who was not signed to any team last year, will be eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2027, and going into this season, he was ranked #83 among active players (#11 in Linebackers) on our Hall of Fame Monitor.  We don’t think that Hightower will get past the preliminary nomination, but is an excellent candidate for the Patriots Hall of Fame.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to wish Dont’a Hightower the best in his post-playing career.

When you play for a two-time National Champion in college like Don’t’a Hightower did at Alabama, how sweet is it to get drafted to another power like the New England Patriots?