Every once in a while we witness greatness in the NFL. Over the past six seasons, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have had the privilege of seeing one of the League's best defensive stars in action. Though he has been injured at times over the past two seasons, T.J. Watt has been phenomenal.
From the time he entered the league in 2017, Watt has been Turning Heads. The Steelers star made the Pro Bowl in his second NFL season in 2018 and never looked back. In terms of individual accolades, Watt has everything you could dream of from a defensive player. But somehow, he is still being disrespected by the media.
Recently, The 33rd Team put together a graphic showing 28 players who could be Hall of Fame bound. They divided these players into three separate categories: locks to make the Hall of Fame, likely to make the Hall of Fame and potential Hall of Famers. Surprisingly, T.J. Watt didn't fit into any of these categories.
🔒 = Lock
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) July 5, 2023
👍 = Likely
🤔 = Potentially
Looking at which active players have the best chances of making the @ProFootballHOF pic.twitter.com/wkUIL8aZiw
Some of the locks included players like Aaron Donald, Travis Kelsey, Patrick Mahomes, Von Miller, and Justin Tucker. Meanwhile, players like Derrick Henry, Tyreek Hill, Russell Wilson, and Lane Johnson were considered players who are likely to make the Hall of Fame.
Players like Myles Garrett, Khalil Mack, Jalen Ramsey, and Matt Ryan were each considered potential Hall of Fame players someday. Watt was not among the 28 players to make the list.
T.J. Watt will prove doubters wrong
I don't disagree with most of the names who made the list for The 33rd Team, however, it's ludicrous not to include a player as prestigious as T.J. Watt. In addition to being the Steelers MVP in three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, Watt has earned three First-Team All-Pro honors, five Pro Bowl appearances, and the Defensive Player of the Year Award.
In terms of sack production, Watt has the third most sacks in his first six years of any player in NFL history. Regardless of what metric you'd like to use, Watt's name should be near the top of this list. what makes this all the more disrespectful is the fact that he's only entering his seventh NFL season, yet he already has almost as many accolades as you need to enter the Hall of Fame.
While some might point to the fact that T.J. Watt has not won a playoff game, There is still plenty of time for postseason success. If we look at metrics like EPA, Watt is among the most important non-quarterbacks in the league. The difference in the Steelers' defense when he's playing compared to when he's not is astronomical.
There are plenty of folks who would argue that what is overrated, but the general NFL media has shown the contrary. Crazy how Watt can be disrespected like this, but just consider this added fuel to the fire for a player who already has unmatched drive and determination. I'm confident that Watt will be a Hall of Famer one day. We just have to wait for the general media to catch up.