3 Jaguars Legends Crack List of Hall of Fame's 2021 Modern-Era Nominees

The three best Jaguars in team history are once again being nominated for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Arguably the three best players in Jacksonville Jaguars history got much-deserved recognition on Wednesday when the Pro Football Nominee announced its list of modern-era nominees for the 2021 class. 

130 modern-era players were named to the list, including former Jaguars left tackle Tony Boselli, running back Fred Taylor and wide receiver Jimmy Smith.

"The roster of nominees consists of 65 offensive players, 49 defensive players and 16 special teams players. The list of Modern-Era nominees will be reduced to 25 semifinalists in November and, from there, to 15 finalists in January," the Hall of Fame said.

BREAKING: The Modern-Era nominees for the Class of 2021 have been unveiled. The list is comprised of 130 players. Among the group are 14 first-year eligible players.

See all nominees: https://t.co/NlwbZvxoeD#PFHOF21 pic.twitter.com/2oIwVP7PAU

— Pro Football Hall of Fame (@ProFootballHOF) September 16, 2020

Boselli was one of the NFL's truly elite tackles from 1995-2001, proving that the Jaguars first-ever draft pick was an absolute home run. He made the Pro Bowl in five of his first six seasons and was an All-Pro from 1997 through 1999. And despite only playing for half of the decade, he was placed on the NFL All-Decade team for the 1990s. 

Boselli was one of the finalists for the Hall of Fame class of 2020, but he has now been a finalist for four consecutive seasons without getting the support needed to be enshrined in Canton. Boselli is the only Jaguars player who has even been named a finalist for the Hall of Fame, so it continues to appear as if he is the Jaguars' current best chance to get into the Hall. 

As for Smith, the former elite receiver put up terrific production with Jaguars despite playing in an era before the passing game was featured as prominently as it is now. He is the NFL's 21st all-time leader in receiving yards with 12,287 yards. His 67 receiving touchdowns as a Jaguar is 34 more than the next player, and his 12,287 yards nearly double the Jaguar with the most yards after him. He made the Pro Bowl in every year from 1997-2001, and he continues to be known as one of the most overlooked and underappreciated receivers in league history. 

Taylor is one of the most, if not the most, underrated candidates for the hall of fame year in and year out. He has yet to get close to getting his gold jacket, buthis career with the Jaguars can't be glossed over. Taylor recorded 13,632 total yards and 70 touchdowns in his career, with the vast majority of those coming with Jacksonville during his 11 seasons. He is the all-time leading rusher in franchise history with 11,271 yards, more than 3,000 more than the back behind him.