2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame Roundtable Eli Manning deserving Marshawn Lynch

Now that the 2024 cla s of the Patrick Corbin Jersey Pro Football Hall of Fame has been officially inducted, who's next in line?First-time players eligible in 2025 include quarterback Eli Manning, running back Marshawn Lynch, linebacker Luke Kuechly, kicker Adam Vinatieri, offensive lineman Marshal Yanda and edge rusher Terrell Suggs.Those players join an impre sive group of 2024 finalists who just mi sed the cut, including tight end Antonio Gates, defensive end Jared Allen, receiver Reggie Wayne and offensive lineman Willie Anderson.Selectors of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will cull though a preliminary list of candidates as they work toward a list of 15 finalists for enshrinement early next year. Then they'll whittle down that list to five modern-day candidates who could earn the distinction of wearing a gold jacket.ADVERTISEMENT Below, the FOX Sports NFL writers tackle some of the most pre sing questions regarding the 2025 cla s.1. Eli Manning is expected to be a first-ballot induction, largely because of his two Super Bowl wins. Do you think he is a Hall of Famer?Ralph Vacchiano: Well, first, I'm not so sure that he's going in on the first ballot. I think the way he is viewed outside of New York is much different than the way he's viewed in the New York area. It's always been an uphill battle for him to get respect, and I'm not sure enough voters are there yet.That said, I'll be honest, even though I covered every snap of his career and wrote a book about him, I'm on the fence. It's true that you can't tell the story of the NFL without a lengthy discu sion about his two Super Bowl championships. And the numbers say he was a great player for a long time.But an all-time great? He played 16 seasons and there was only one year 2011, when he threw for 4,933 yards, 29 touchdowns and 16 interceptions and won a Super Bowl when I thought he was one of the top three QBs in the league. Wilmer Difo Jersey Most of the other seasons he probably ranked sixth or seventh.Is that Hall of Fame-worthy? He's right on the fence for me, so I'd take it year by year, and it will really depend on who is on the ballot each year. It's far from a no-brainer decision. But this might be a good year for him.Greg Auman: I think Manning deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. Two Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady in two tries? The rest of the world went 1-7 in such opportunities. To pile up 366 touchdowns and 57,000 pa sing yards is a testament to longevity, even if it's more sustained good than great. If you don't think he's in, do you like Troy Aikman in Canton? His career numbers are ordinary, but he got in without hesitation for being the quarterback on three championship teams.David Helman: I think we can find a compromise here. Yes, because of Eli Manning's two Super Bowl victories (over Tom Brady, no le s) and his two Super Bowl MVPs, I do think he is a Hall of Famer. In the big picture, I have no i sue with his bust going up in Canton.That said, I just don't think it should be a first-ballot election. First-ballot consideration should be reserved for the greatest of the great Reggie White, Larry Allen, Eli's older brother, Peyton. If there's any debate to be had about your credentials, you have no busine s going in immediately. Not when players like Antonio Gates and DeMarcus Ware have had to wait. Let Eli go in after two or three years, when we've had a chance to enshrine some better players.2. Do you believe Marshawn Lynch will ultimately be elected? Should he be?Ben Arthur: I believe he will and not just because of his iconic personality. He's lower on the career rushing yards list than you'd maybe like 29th in yards all time at 10,413 but his 85 career touchdowns (17th all time) is higher than Hall of Famers like Jim Taylor, Edgerrin James, Tony Dorsett, Earl Campbell and Leroy Kelly.Lynch had one of the most memorable four-year runs for a running back in modern NFL history, too, which included back-to-back Super Bowl trips (one ring) as the engine of the Seahawks offense. You also can't forget the legendary Beast Quake run in the 2010 NFC wild-card game against the , which registered seismic activity in Seattle.Eric D. Williams: While the Legion of Boom defense emerged as the signature group for the during the Pete Carroll era, ask most involved with the franchise's succe s during that time, and they will point to Marshawn Lynch as the straw that stirred the drink.Lynch served as the engine and linchpin for a Caroll-led team built around a hard-nosed running game, taking care of the football and playing stingy defense. From 2011 to 2014, Lynch was dominant, totaling 5,357 rushing yards and scoring 56 touchdowns over that time.Lynch made the All-Decade team for the 2010s and would have helped lead Seattle's to back-to-back Super Bowl wins had Carroll chosen to hand the ball to his best player from the 1-yard line in the team's heartbreaking lo s to the in Super Bowl XLIX.Lynch's stubborn avoidance of the media during his career could be an impediment to his Hall of Fame candidacy. A five Kurt Suzuki Jersey -time Pro Bowler, Lynch's 10,419 rushing yards rank No. 29th all time. However, Lynch is No. 8 all time with 970 rushing yards in the postseason.Lynch has an uphill climb to get in as a first-time candidate, but his overall body of work and significant impact on Seattle's best teams in franchise history should eventually get him into the Hall.Carmen Vitali: Listen, I love Money Lynch as much as, if not more Hunter Strickland Jersey than, the next person. Hes created quite a cult following for his antics both as a player and media personality. His trip to the Weiner Circle in Chicago or his cosplay as a pirate on the ship inside Raymond James Stadium are some of my favorite bits.On the field, he was the engine that made so many of the Seattle Seahawks teams go. His first four full seasons in Seattle, Lynch was a Pro Bowler and helped lead the club to its lone Super Bowl title. His lone All-Pro nod came with Seattle, as well.Now, here comes the but.If youre talking Hall of Fame-caliber, youre talking about players who led the league in major stats for multiple seasons. Youre talking about guys who changed the way the game was played. Can I confidently say Lynch did that? Not really.On the all-time lists, Lynchs 10,413 rushing yards rank 29th. His 85 rushing touchdowns rank 17th.Lynch will go down in glory with the Seahawks franchise, for good reason. He made the 2010s All-Decade team, also for good reason. But not every All-Decade player can make the Hall of Fame, so as much as I want to say Lynch will get in, I just cant see it.3. There is currently a logjam of wide receivers on the ballot. Who are your top three candidates and how would you rank them?Henry McKenna: 1. Torry Holt: He's a Super Bowl champion. He had two seasons with more than 1,600 yards and he eclipsed 1,100 yards in eight of his 11 seasons. He never even had fewer than 700 yards. He was the top receiver for the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf," an offense that changed the game. He has his production. Let's just get him in the Hall of Fame, folks.2. Steve Smith: He wasn't just a scrappy, productive and explosive receiver. He was Tanner Roark Jersey also an icon. Smith was such a big personality in the landscape of football when he was a player. (And he remains one as a media member.) Smith might not have won a Super Bowl. He might have topped 1,500 yards just once in a season (2005). But if you'd have asked the defensive backs who they'd least like to guard, I bet it would've been Smith right at the top.3. Reggie Wayne: Maybe its because he started his career as the No. 2 behind Marvin Harrison, but Wayne doesnt quite have the reputation that he deserves. He had a special career and seamle sly replaced Harrison as Peyton Mannings No. 1. Hes a Super Bowl champion, a six-time Pro Bowler and he led the NFL in receiving yards in 2007. (Sorry, Randy Mo s.) Wayne was special.Williams: Last year, the Hall broke an initial gridlock at the receiver position by electing Andre Johnson to the Hall, but there's still more work to do. Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt were finalists again last year. And players like Hines Ward, Steve Smith Sr. and Anquan Boldin are worthy candidates to consider.And the line isn't getting any shorter, with guys like Demaryius Thomas, Larry Fitzgerald, Julian Edelman and Dez Bryant soon becoming eligible for the Hall.For me, I believe Holt and Wayne have waited long enough and should be at the front of the line to get in. Both are five-time finalists, have Super Bowl rings and are in the top 20 in NFL history in receptions and receiving yards. My third candidate would be Smith, a five-time Pro Bowler who