Predicting the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025: Antonio Gates, Luke Kuechly, & More

We will predict which modern-era NFL players earn enshrinement in Canton

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 was announced late last week. This year’s class includes first ballot inductee Julius Peppers and a barrage of superstars from the 2000s and early 2010s. The additions of Dwight Freeney and Patrick Willis make it a defensive heavy class, but offense and special teams were well represented.

Two-time receiving champion Andre Johnson emerged victorious against Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne as the logjam at wide receiver continued kicking Hall of Fame resumes down the road. Meanwhile, special teams players continued strengthening their recently found foothold in Canton as Devin Hester became the first inducted return specialist in NFL history.

Today, we are going to examine the upcoming Hall of Fame Class of 2025 and try to predict what next cycle will look like. These are modern-era predictive selections. Obviously, my personal opinion is baked into these decisions, but the primary goal is to mirror how the Hall of Fame voters approach the process.

This is the first of a four-part series in which I will attempt to predict the next four modern-era Hall of Fame classes.

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**Indicates First Ballot Induction

Revealing the Hall of Fame Class of 2025

Luke Kuechly, LB (2012-19)**

Kuechly only graced the gridiron with his presence for eight years. During that time, he was routinely one of the top 15 players in the sport and served as the game’s preeminent linebacker model in the dusk of Patrick Willis’ career.

Kuechly earned Defensive Rookie of the Year (2012) and Defensive Player of the Year (2013) honors in his first two seasons. He was a First Team All-Pro five times and a Second Team All-Pro twice. For those arguing about Kuechly’s lack of longevity, the voters have moved on from that criteria. See Tony Boselli, Terrell Davis, and Willis as recent examples of extreme peaks during short careers leading to gold jackets.

Kuechly was a transcendent player, and that makes him a first ballot slam dunk.

Jared Allen, DE (2004-15)

I recently made a simple chart in Excel comparing Allen to the most recent Hall of Fame pass rushers: Freeney, Peppers, and DeMarcus Ware. Allen laps Freeney, and his averages for sacks per game and sacks per season rank among the best in league history.

Among more than 200 retired players since 1960 with 56 sacks or more, Allen’s .727 sacks per game rank 14th. His 11.33 sacks per season rank fifth among that same group. Only 17 retired/inactive players (with 56 or more sacks) averaged double-digit sacks per season in their careers. The full top ten includes Reggie White (13.2), Deacon Jones (12.39), Ware (11.54), Derrick Thomas (11.5), Allen (11.33), Lawrence Taylor (10.92), Jack Youngblood (10.82), Mark Gastineau (10.75), Kevin Greene (10.67), and Bruce Smith (10.53).

Allen is clearly the best sack artist remaining on the ballot. His induction shouldn’t wait any longer.

Antonio Gates, TE (2003-18)

Gates not being a first ballot inductee was surprising. A former undrafted free agent, Gates authored two 1,000-yard seasons and five years with more than 900 yards in his first seven seasons. He was an All-Decade Team selection in the 2000s and earned five total All-Pro bids (3x First Team, 2x Second Team).

At the time of his retirement, Gates ranked 28th in receiving yards (11,841 yards which is 222 ahead of Calvin Johnson), sixth in receiving touchdowns (a tight end record 116), and 17th in receptions (955). Gates was an era-defining player and remains a historical titan at the tight end position.

The emergence of stars like Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce in the years after Gates’ prime may have overshadowed his achievements for the public, but that shouldn’t be the case for the voters. They know Gates was a massive outlier and pioneer at his position.

Torry Holt, WR (1999-2009)

Isaac Bruce, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, and Kurt Warner have carved out a cove in Canton for the Greatest Show on Turf. They’ve been holding a spot for the final legendary member of their offense.

Holt doesn’t have Bruce’s career totals, but he was a more dominant player during his shorter career. He amassed more than 1,300 receiving yards in six consecutive seasons from 2000-2005 as part of eight consecutive 1,000-yard campaigns. Holt led the NFL in receiving yards in 2000 (1,635) and 2003 (1,696) and receptions in 2003 (117). He had six years with more than 90 receptions and three seasons with double-digit touchdowns.

For comparison, Bruce had eight 1,000-yard seasons with three years eclipsing 1,300 yards. He had four seasons with more than 80 receptions and two seasons with double-digit touchdowns. Bruce was only an All-Pro once (Second Team in 1999). Holt was a First Team All-Pro in 2003 and a Second Team All-Pro in 2006.

At the time of his retirement, Holt ranked tenth in career receiving yards (13,382), 11th in receptions (920), and had the 20th most receiving touchdowns (74). The only other players that met all three of those marks at the time were Bruce, Tim Brown, Cris Carter, Marvin Harrison, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, and Jerry Rice.

Willie Anderson, OT (1996-2008)

The fifth spot in the Class of 2025 is difficult to decipher. Some of the first-year eligible players will earn consideration, including Beast Mode Marshawn Lynch, two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, former Defensive Player of the Year Terrell Suggs, three-time First Team All-Pro Earl Thomas, and the league’s all-time leading scorer, Adam Vinatieri.

The only players from that group with real first ballot pop are Thomas and Vinatieri. Thomas was arguably the best defender on the Legion of Boom and was the league’s best safety for several years. Vinatieri has the career totals and clutch moments to put together a good narrative, but the voters might not be ready to accept a first ballot special teams player.

Returning options like Jahri Evans, Fred Taylor, Reggie Wayne, and Darren Woodson will also get looks. Wayne has the easiest case to make from those four, but I think it’s unlikely he and Holt go in together.

The void in the fifth place in the Class of 2025 creates an opening for Anderson. Cincinnati fans finally got to celebrate Ken Riley’s induction this past year. Now they can look forward to another Bengal receiving a gold jacket. Anderson earned four consecutive All-Pro selections from 2003-2006, including three straight First Team bids, cementing his role as the best right tackle of the early 2000s.  

According to the Bengals, the Class of 2024 marked the first time in seven years an offensive lineman wasn’t inducted into the Hall of Fame, and a right tackle hasn’t been inducted in 18 years. It’s about time to shake that up.

Anderson, who is now entering his 12th year of eligibility, has endorsements from former players Warren Sapp and Michael Strahan, former coach Bill Cowher, and former player and executive Ozzie Newsome. There are a lot of fresh faces taking over the ballot, which means the voters will push to start inducting some of the older deserving players.

Best Remaining 2025 First Ballot Eligible Players

Note: Players that appear in bold in the following sections are players I expect to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame eventually.

Eli Manning, QB

Marshawn Lynch, RB

Joe Staley, OT

Terrell Suggs, Edge

Cameron Wake, Edge

Top Returning Eligible Players

Shaun Alexander, RB

Mike Alstott, FB

Tiki Barber, RB

Jamaal Charles, RB

Eddie George, RB

Priest Holmes, RB

Chris Johnson, RB

Jamal Lewis, RB

Fred Taylor, RB

Ricky Watters, RB

Anquan Boldin, WR

Irving Fryar, WR

Chad Johnson, WR

Brandon Marshall, WR

Jimmy Smith, WR

Rod Smith, WR

Hines Ward, WR

Wes Welker, WR

Lomas Brown, OT

Richmond Webb, OT

Ruben Brown, G

Jahri Evans, G

Logan Mankins, G

Steve Wisniewski, G

Nick Mangold, C

Jeff Saturday, C

La'Roi Glover, IDL

Haloti Ngata, DT

Vince Wilfork, IDL

Kevin Williams, IDL

John Abraham, Edge

James Harrison, Edge

Robert Mathis, Edge

Leslie O'Neal, Edge

Bryce Paup, Edge

Joey Porter, Edge

Simeon Rice, Edge

Justin Smith, Edge

Neil Smith, Edge

Cornelius Bennett, LB

Lance Briggs, LB

London Fletcher, LB

Jessie Tuggle, LB

Eric Allen, CB

Charles Tillman, CB

Eric Berry, S

Rodney Harrison, S

Carnell Lake, S

Tim McDonald, S

Bob Sanders, S

Darren Woodson, S

Gary Anderson, K

Brian Mitchell, KR/PR