Hall of Fame percentages for Steelers and the AFC North players

The Pittsburgh Steelers have showcased incredible talent over the years. Here are the best AFC North players Hall of Fame chances given by Sporting News.

The Hall of Fame always seems to become a hot topic during this time of year. The Steelers have drafted some incredible talent over the past 15 years, and some of those players are bound for the Hall of Fame.

Troy Polamalu will likely be the next Steeler inducted, but who else could make this list?

Sporting News recently broke down all of the best players in the league and tagged them with a percent chance of making the Hall of Fame. Here are the Chances they gave every player in the AFC North:

100% chance:

Ben Roethlisberger

A.J. Green

Marshall Yanda

These three players are shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame. Ben is a 15-year starter at quarterback with a massive pedigree and two Super Bowl wins to his name, while A.J. Green is one of the best receiver to play football over the past decade. He has made the Pro Bowl 7 of 8 seasons (missing last year due to injury).

Earl Thomas is one of best safeties I have seen in my lifetime, and is perhaps one of the all-time best at his position. Thomas has made the Pro Bowl just once in the past three seasons, but has been riddled with injuries. Still, his 6 Pro Bowls and 3 All-Pros will be enough to make him a lock for the Hall of Fame. (In case you were wondering, Antonio Brown was given a 100 percent chance as well).

90% chance:

Maurkice Pouncey

Pouncey was the sole player given a 90 percent chance of making the Hall of Fame. While this tag given to him by Sporting News leaves a little bit of doubt, Pouncey’s resume he has built with the Steelers should help him find his way to Canton.

Maurkice Pouncey has made the Pro Bowl 7 of 8 seasons, and has 2 All-Pros to boot. It’s not easy to get in, and not even the great Alan Faneca has made it yet. I believe Faneca was a better player than Pouncey, but the All-Pro center’s track record should give him a great chance.

80% chance:

David DeCastro

Geno Atkins

More likely than not, DeCastro and Atkins will be Hall of Famers one day. The two players have consistently been among the best at their position, and are widely known for their All-Pro statuses throughout the league.

I would argue that DeCastro has been a better player than Pouncey in his career,  and he has 4 straight Pro Bowl appearances, but Pouncey’s resume is slightly better – earning him a bit higher odds on Sporting News’ rankings.

75% chance

Marshal Yanda

Yanda has been one of the most dominant interior offensive lineman of our time. However, a late start to his career didn’t see him earn his first Pro Bowl until his 5th NFL season. He had a bit of an uphill battle, but still has solid odds to make the Hall of Fame.

70% chance:

Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham had an incredible start to his NFL career – putting up 1,300 yards and 12 touchdowns in just 12 games as a rookie. He started his career with three straight Pro Bowl seasons, but has been hampered by injuries over the past two seasons. Interestingly, he hasn’t been a First-Team All-Pro player at all in his first 5 NFL seasons.

55% chance:

Justin Tucker

Justin Tucker has my vote for the Hall of Fame. There have only ever been 2 kickers to make it to Canton, but I think Justin Tucker should be the third. Tucker has kicked for over 90 percent in his NFL career, and has been an All-Pro kicker 3 times.  It’s worth noting that he has made 241 of 242 (99.6%) of extra points as well.

40% chance:

JuJu Smith-Schuster

Jarvis Landry

Nothing against Jarvis Landry, but I personally believe he has much lower Hall of Fame chances than this. The Browns receiver has less than 1,000 yards in 3 of 5 NFL seasons so far. With Odell coming to town, his opportunities will drop further.

JuJu, on the other hand, is off to a faster star to his career than Antonio Brown. He has collected 2,343 receiving yards by the age of 22. It will be difficult to keep pace, and will spend much of his career with a quarterback we don’t know after Ben retires, but his start has been fantastic.

30% chance:

T.J. Watt

It’s interesting to note that T.J. Watt was given a better chance of making the Hall of Fame than Myles Garrett. Both players were drafted in 2017, but were nearly a full round apart (Garrett was the 1st pick pick and Watt was the 30th pick). Watt has 20.0 sacks in his first two seasons and the looks of a player who could be the face of the Steelers defense for a long time.

20% chance:

Cameron Heyward

Baker Mayfield

Myles Garrett

Cameron Heyward’s chances of making the Hall of Fame are dwindling away. At 30 years old, Heyward has an All-Pro to his name, but just 2 Pro Bowl appearance in 8 seasons. His stats are underwhelming when compared to the all-time greats, and he would have to be fantastic until the end of his career to have a chance.

On the other hand, it is still very early for Baker Mayfield and Myles Garrett. Both players have limitless upside, and have already shown to be among the better players in the league at their positions. They have just one Pro Bowl between the two players as of now, but that will change soon enough.

It was interesting to see a percent Hall of Fame chance thrown at each of these players. While I don’t necessarily agree with every percentage, I like the players they chose for this list. Let’s hope we see the percentages of these Steelers players climb in the years to come.