Will Patrick Willis and Justin Smith be inducted into the Hall of Fame as first ballot in 2020?

The Hall of Fame class of 2020 was announced earlier this week with some very highlighting names familiar for San Francisco 49ers fans. Former All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis and defensive lineman Justin Smith will be eligible for the first time since retiring from football. The impact these two phenomenal players had on the 49ers franchise is indescribable.

Both are players who gave it their all from the bad times on the team to the glory days with Jim Harbaugh as head coach. Those three years of dominance in the playoffs is a stretch no one will forget because of that defense led by Willis and Smith. There is no need to use stats when discussing these two players because they do not do them justice.

Anyone who watched these two knew they were watching something special. Any player would love to have a career as similar as these two. Their play styles are a last of a dying breed, which makes their time more special.

The question is, now that they are eligible will Patrick Willis and Justin Smith be inducted into the Hall of Fame as first ballot in 2020?

Former #49ers to be nominated for @ProFootballHOF :
Jeff Garcia
Ricky Watters
Isaac Bruce
Brent Jones
Kevin Gogan
Justin Smith
Bryant Young
Patrick Willis
Takeo Spikes
Merton Hanks
Tim McDonald
David Akers
Gary Anderson
— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoNBCS) September 12, 2019

Well of course if it were up to 49ers fans, they would've been inducted as of yesterday. However, the general populace may not view these two as highly, especially Justin Smith. Patrick Willis is the most recognizable name nationally, so Smith might be overlooked. The player that has the best chance of being inducted will be Willis and even that might be a stretch. That is because of who else is eligible to be inducted into the 2020 class.

Among the other players who are first time eligible is safety Troy Polamalu, wide receiver Reggie Wayne and defensive end John Abraham. I think it is safe to say that Polamalu has the the advantage over the majority of the nominees. Not to mention the 2019 finalists that were snubbed like current 49ers general manager John Lynch. There is just an over-saturation of legendary players that it is difficult to choose.

The only reason I believe Patrick Willis and maybe even Justin Smith will be a first ballot Hall of Famer is because the amount of inductee's into this class will be significantly increased. Hall of Fame president and CEO David Baker revealed a class of 20 inductees for next year has tentatively been approved. Baker announced this on Monday on SiriusXM NFL Radio. Usually, there are only a maximum of eight inductee's into the Hall of Fame.

But because the NFL has hit the century mark they want to do something special for this year. That is why it is called the Centennial Class of 2020. Because of it, Willis should be inducted. I just think it will be tough to put Justin Smith in as a first ballot, though there is no question he is Hall of Fame worthy. For the next four to five months, we will be debating and speculating who should be in or not until the finalists are revealed the week of the Super Bowl.