Pittsburgh Steelers: Possible Future Hall of Famers

The 2015 NFL Hall of Fame class will be announced in about than two weeks and two former Pittsburgh Steelers are finalists. Hopefully both Kevin Greene and Jerome Bettis finally enter the Hall once the announcement is made the day before Super Bowl XLIX. Until that day arrives, let’s take a look at some current Steelers chances of one day making it into the Hall of Fame. I’ll start with the veteran players and work my way down to the younger guys that will need to do more in the future to secure a spot in Canton.

Troy Polamalu

Here is an easy one to start. Troy Polamalu should and will be in the Hall of Fame one day. Polamalu is an eight time Pro Bowler, four time All-Pro, and the 2010 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. As Steelers fans also know he has been a highlight reel for his entire career. Sure he has been slowed by injuries and he may never suit up for the Steelers again but for the past 12 years he has been fun to watch. He and Ed Reed were the two best safeties of the 2000’s and both have resumes that will ensure their spots in Canton.

Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger probably punched his ticket to Canton in 2008 after winning his second Super Bowl. Jim Plunkett is only Quarterback with two rings not in the Hall of Fame at the moment, other than Eli Manning who is still active in the NFL. Big Ben has also made it to another Super Bowl and every QB with three Super Bowl appearances is in the Hall minus Kurt Warner, who is finalist in his first year of eligibility.

Minus all of the postseason success Big Ben has had, he has also been putting up very good numbers during his tenure on the Steelers. He owns just about every passing record for the Steelers. He has been selected to three Pro Bowls. He may not get the love Tom Brady, or Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers gets. But for the past decade he has been one of the best and most consistent QB’s in the league.

Nov 30, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison (92) in pass coverage against the New Orleans Saints during the first quarter at Heinz Field. The Saints won 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

James Harrison

Personally, I don’t think James Harrison will get into the Hall of Fame, but I’m a homer and I think he actually has a decent case. Five Pro Bowls, two All-Pro teams, 2008 Defensive Player of the Year, and he made arguably the greatest and most exciting play in the history of the Super Bowl.

Kevin Greene also has 5 Pro Bowls and 2 All-Pro teams on his resume. The problem for Harrison is that Greene has nearly 90 more sacks in his career and Greene isn’t even a Hall of Famer yet. If Harrison continues to play, achieving eight more sacks for the Steelers to surpass Jason Gildon as the Steelers all-time sack leader certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances.

Maurkice Pouncey

As for some of the younger Steelers who have already made their mark on the NFL but have more to do, let’s take a look at Maurkice Pouncey. Just five seasons into his career, with one being lost due to injury, Pouncey has made four Pro Bowls and has been named to either the first or second All-Pro team in his four healthy seasons. Ever since Pouncey entered the league in 2010, he has been considered one of the best in NFL and the Steelers clearly think so too as evidenced by his five-year, $44 million dollar contract. If Pouncey can remain healthy and continues to play at a high level for another five or more years, he should be getting a bust in Canton one day to go alongside other Steelers great centers, Mike Webster and Dermontti Dawson.

Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown will need to continue to have years like 2013 and 2014 for a long time if he wants to get inducted into the Hall of Fame. He is on the right track however it has always been hard for wide receivers to make it to Canton. In the past two years Brown has 239 receptions for over 3,000 yards and 21 touchdowns. He made the first All-Pro team this year and also got nominated for his third Pro Bowl in just his fifth season. His Hall of Fame chances will be determined over the next decade or so but it’s hard to argue against AB being a top three wideout in the league right now.

Le’Veon Bell

Projecting Le’Veon Bell’s Hall of Fame chances after just two seasons could be a bid absurd. That being said making an All-Pro team in your second season isn’t the most common thing. Bell has already rushed for 2,221 yards in his career, while also adding 1,253 receiving yards. Bell will need to have a long healthy career to eventually be considered a Hall of Famer but he has started off his career on the right path.

What do you think Steelers Nation? Which Steelers are hopefully headed to Canton one day?

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