Randy Moss, Ray Lewis Highlight NFL's List of Hall of Fame Nominees
A list of 108 modern-era nominees for the Pro Football Hall of Fame was released on Tuesday, with Randy Moss, Ray Lewis and Brian Urlacher among the most notable former players who are eligible for the first time.
Being named to the nominees list is the first of a multi-step process for future Hall of Famers. The modern-era nominee list will be trimmed down to 15, then 10 and finally five before the Pro Football Hall of Fame Selection Committee votes "yes" or "no" on the final five candidates. If the final nominees receive 80 percent positive votes, they'll be enshrines in Canton, Ohio next August.
Also eligible will be the 15 recently announced senior finalists—linebacker Robert Brazile (last played in 1984) and offensive lineman Jerry Kramer (last played in 1968)—and the contributor finalist, former general manager Bobby Beathard.
The modern-era nominee list includes 53 offensive players, 38 defensive players, five special-teamers and 12 coaches. There are 11 first-time nominees:
• WR Donald Driver
• WR Randy Moss
• WR Steve Smith
• C Matt Birk
• G Steve Hutchinson
• C Jeff Saturday
• DT Richard Seymour
• DE Kyle Vanden Bosch
• LB Ray Lewis
• LB Brian Urlacher
• CB/S Ronde Barber
Off the first-time nominees, Moss, Lewis and Urlacher are virtual locks to make the final five, and all three could well be enshrined as first-ballot Hall of Famers. Other notable eligible players who are not first-time eligible include Terrell Owens, Tiki Barber, Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Ty Law and John Lynch.
Players must be retired for five years before they are eligible for the Hall of Fame.
The Hall of Fame's class of 2017 consisted of kicker Morten Andersen, running backs Terrell Davis and LaDanian Tomlinson, safety Kenny Easley, defensive end Jayson Taylor, quarterback Kurt Warner and Cowboys executive Jerry Jones.
