2024 Pre-Season Rank #58, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #74, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #76, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #93, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #128.  Peak Period: 2018-22

DeForest Buckner played his first four seasons with San Francisco. In his first year in Indianapolis (2020), he set a personal best of 16 in Approximate Value and earned his inaugural First Team All-Pro. Throw in a 2021 and 2023 Pro Bowl, and you have a player who is trending well, but still has a lot to do to gain serious Hall of Fame traction.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #71, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #51, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #60, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #82, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #97.  Peak Period: 2017-21

The 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Year could not add much to his Hall of Fame after 2021, as in 2022, he missed most of the season due to a groin injury.  When he returned, he hampered the Chargers in their playoff game against Jacksonville when he took his helmet off in frustration over a Jags Touchdown.  The penalty helped the Jags win the game, and Bosa was the bonehead of the week.  After a pair of seasons where he was under the radar, he now joins the Buffalo Bills, with the hope of rejuvenating his career.   This year is pivotal for his Hall of Fame chances.

2024 Pre-Season Rank #28, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #33, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #38, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #75, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #87.  Peak Period: 2017-21

In the first six seasons of Cameron Heyward's career, there was no mention of him ever sniffing the Hall of Fame. The next six years would change everything, as Heyward’s production increased, and he strung together a six-year Pro Bowl streak (2017-22) that included three First Team All-Pros.  Heyward was not just a consummate disruptor; he was an all-around role model who won the 2023 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.

Last season at the age of 35, Heyward added his seventh Pro Bowl, but because his role is not purely as a pass-rusher, his 88.5 Sacks and 133 Tackles for Loss do not jump off the page, though, of course, we suspect (or hope), the Hall of Fame voters know this.