As always at Notinhalloffame.com, it is onward and upward for us, and we have an additional add-on to our Football Futures Section: those who are eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028.

The entire list of candidates in 2028 is here, but individually, they are:

A.J. Green:  Green was a potent Wide Receiver who was a six-time Pro Bowl Selection.  He amassed 10,514 Receiving Yards with 70 Touchdowns and played most of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Brett Kern:  Kern was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection as a Punter.

DeSean Jackson:  A three-time Pro Bowler best known for his time as a Philadelphia Eagle, Jackson was a four-time league leader in Yards per Reception.  He had 11,263 Receiving Yards.

Devin McCourty:  McCourty played his entire professional career with the New England Patriots, where the Defensive Back was a three-time Super Bowl Champion and two-time Pro Bowl Selection.

Jamie Collins:  Collins won a Super Bowl with the Patriots, and the Linebacker went to one Pro Bowl.

J.J. Watt:  Watt is a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, five-time First Team All-Pro, five-time Pro Bowl Selection, and former Walter Payton Man of the Year and has a case as the best defensive player of the 2010s.  This is as close to a lock as it gets.

Kevin Huber:  The former Punter was a Pro Bowl Selection once.

Kevin Rudolph:  Playing most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings, Rudolph was a two-time Pro Bowl at Tight End.

Mark Ingram:  A former Heisman Trophy winner, Ingram rushed for over 8,000 Yards with 65 Touchdowns and was a three-time Pro Bowler.

Matt Ryan.  Ryan won an MVP, an Offensive Player of the Year, and was the consensus Rookie of the Year.  A three-time Pro Bowl Selection, Ryan threw for 62,792 Yards and 381 Touchdowns.

Robbie Gould:  A successful Place Kicker associated with the Chicago Bears and San Francisco 49ers, Gould twice led the NFL in Field Goals Made.

Taylor Lewan:  Lewan played his pro career with the Tennessee Titans, where the Offensive Lineman was a three-time Pro Bowl Selection.

Tom Brady:  If J.J. Watt is a lock, then Tom Brady’s bust has already been built.  The seven-time Super Bowl Champion and multi-time MVP was the GOAT of Football and arguably all of team sports.

You know what we want you to do!

Your votes and opinions are crucial in shaping the future of these candidates. We value your input and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

J.J. Watt.

Here, we have a player in the conversation for the best Defensive End that ever lived, and if you don’t agree with that, you have to acknowledge that he belongs in the conversation.

With the above paragraph, he enters rarified air with this.  He was just as impactful off the gridiron as he was on it.

Have we gushed enough about J.J. Watt?  Let’s gush some more.

Watt was an All-American at Wisconsin, and the Houston Texans were blessed to land him with the 11^th Overall Pick in the 2011 Draft.  Watt was a starting Defensive End in his first year, winning All-Rookie honors, but what he did over the next four seasons was legendary.

From 2012 to 2015, Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards, and in the season, he didn’t win; he was still sixth.  Watt was named a First Team All-Pro in all four seasons, he twice led the NFL in Sacks, and three times in Tackles for Loss.  Not only was he the best Defensive End in Football, he was also the greatest defensive player of that period.  Hell, if you want to say that he was also the best player outright in those four seasons, we would probably agree with you!

It was beautiful to watch.  What couldn’t he do?  He mastered the bullrush, destroying any offensive lineman who had the misfortune of blocking him, and was an expert pass rusher, but he was also an exemplary run blocker.  He was fast, he could juke, and he could overpower you.  Watt was a defensive God!

It could not last forever, and through 2016 and 2017, Watt dealt with back and leg issues that held him to only eight Games over those campaigns.  He was healthy in 2018, and returned to the Pro Bowl, landed his fifth First Team All-Pro, and led the NFL for the first time in Forced Fumbles (7).  Watt was hurt again in 2019 and played only 8 Games, and though he played in all 16 Games in 2019, he had to use his veteran knowledge to remain effective.   He left Houston for Arizona for two final seasons, and while he was not the same, he was still a living legend.

Any story on Watt could not be complete without acknowledging his philanthropic efforts and the money he raised and personally donated to various causes, including Hurricane Harvey victims.  He won the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, and it could be argued that he should have won more than one.

Watt retired with 114.5 Sacks, 195 Tackles for Loss and 317 Quarterback Hits.  If he is not a unanimous First Ballot Hall of Famer, the system is broken.  Thankfully, we won’t have to worry.

Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL and MLB. Once that is done, we intend to look at how each team honor their past players, coaches and executives. As such, it is important to us that the Houston Texans have announced that J.J. Watt will become the third member of their Ring of Honor.

Taken with the 11^th Overall Pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, Watt became the most dominant Defensive End in the first half of the 2010s. The former Wisconsin Badger won the AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, 2014 and 2015, led the league in Sacks in 2012 and 2015, and was alos the league leader in Tackles for Loss in 2012, 2014 and 2015. From 2012 and 2015, Watt was named a First Team All-Pro and to the Pro Bowl, and was also the recipient of the 2014 Bert Bell Award.

Injured through most of 2016 and 2017, Watt was very busy off of the field, with has philanthropic efforts to aid those impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Watt would win the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award for his efforts.

Watt was healthy in 2018, adding a fifth First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl. After two more seasons with the Texans, Watt signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, and retired at season’s end in 2022.

As a Texan, Watt compiled 101.0 Sacks with 172 Tackles for Loss. He was also named to the 2010s All-Decade Team.

The ceremony will take place on October 1, during their home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate J.J. Watt for earning this impending honor.

One of the most spectacular defensive careers came to an end today as J.J. Watt, who announced two weeks ago that this would be his final NFL season.  With the Arizona Cardinals out of playoff contention, today’s game against the San Francisco 49ers saw Watt ride off into the sunset.

Watt dominated as a Senior at Wisconsin, winning the Lott Trophy and earning All-American honors.  The Houston Texans used their 11^th Overall Pick to take the Defensive End, and he instantly became the face of the franchise.

After a good rookie year, Watt went on a four-year tear where he was easily the best defensive player in football.  A First Team All-Pro in all four of those campaigns, Watt won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards (2012, 2014 & 2015), twice led the league in Sacks (2012 & 2015) and three times in Tackles for Loss (2012, 2014 & 2015).  Watt was so dominant, that he won the 2014 Bert Bell Award, that institution’s version of the MVP.

Injuries held him to only eight Games in 2016 & 2017, but he added another monster season in 2018, adding a fifth First Team All-Pro, on the strength of a 16-Sack year.

Watt played more two more seasons with the Texans before signing with the Arizona Cardinals.  Injured again for much of 2021, Watt’s final year was solid, accumulating 12.5 Sacks giving him 114.5 in total.  His 195 Tackles for Loss also places him second overall.

As phenomenal as Watt was on the field, he was even more incredible off of it.  Watt won the 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, after having raised $37 million in relief for those suffering from Hurricane Harvey, and his philanthropic efforts also including covering the funeral costs for the six victims of the Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack.

Watt is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2028, and he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer.  He was ranked #5on our pre-2022 Season Ranking of active players, and bluntly, anyone that high is getting a bust in Canton right away.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com wish J.J. Watt the best in his post-playing career.

We are excited here at Notinhalloffame.com that we are unveiling a new section, which looks at the top active players in the big four of sports and how they are positioned at the start of each seasons in regards to Hall of Fame credentials.

We are beginning with Pro Football, and how perfect is that considering the seasons kicks off this week.  Rather than list everyone directly, we have isolated them based on their position and with the exception of Special Teams, we have created a new stat based on the last five modern players (not senior inductees) of their respective position and how the current player compares with that.

This will be updated annually, so this 100 was finalized this week. We will not be updating again until the end of the season.

The new section begins here

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to thank you all for your continued support and we hope that you enjoy this new section!