It is hard not to consider Clay Matthews Jr. as part of football royalty.

How can you not? 

He is the son of former San Francisco 49ers Clay Matthews Sr., the father of Clay Matthews III, the brother of Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews, and the uncle of Jake and Kevin Matthews.  As for this specific member of the Matthews clan, we have a 19-year veteran who spent 16 of those years with the Cleveland Browns.  In four of those seasons, he was named to the Pro Bowl.  Matthews Jr. may never have been a First Team All-Pro, but he had the longevity and relevance that overcomes that objection.  Matthews is currently third all-time in Tackles and in the top fifteen in Games Played. 

Clay Matthews Jr.’s resume is a great example of whether Canton wants to recognize a long period of being very good, even though he was never quite elite.

One of the early stars of the Green Bay Packers, Verne Lewellen, was an all-purpose Back who did it all for Green Bay.  The product of Nebraska (the state and the University) was named to four straight First Team All-Pro squads (1926 to 1929) and was a large part of their three consecutive NFL Championships (1929 to 1931). 

While no video of Lewellen's play survives, legendary figures like Art Rooney and George Halas extolled his virtues, and while stats were not well kept, it is believed he would have done well in box scores.  We do know that he scored 37 rushing touchdowns and 12 receiving touchdowns, an incredible number for his day, and held the overall TD record until it was shattered by Don Hutson.   

Lewellen later served as the Packers General Manager from 1954 to 1958, and may forever be a historical snub of Canton.

From SMU's football factory, Jerry Mays chose to stay in his home state with the Dallas Texans, who drafted him in the 5^th Round of the 1961 Draft.  The Minnesota Vikings of the NFL chose him in the 11^th Round.

The defensive tackle helped Dallas win the AFL Championship in 1962, and after the team relocated to Kansas City, he again helped his squad win two more AFL titles and their first-ever Super Bowl.  Mays was named to the All-AFL Team and was a six-time AFL All-Star, as well as a Pro Bowl Selection in 1970.  Mays was also a two-time First Team All-Pro and one of the most agile defensive linemen in the AFL.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame will likely elude him, but he earned a place years ago in the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame.

Richmond Webb proved his merit immediately as the 9^th overall Draft Pick in 1990, as the Left Tackle was a Pro Bowl and All-Rookie Selection, and UPI even went as far as naming him the Rookie of the Year.  That year was no flash in the pan, as Webb would go on to be named to six more Pro Bowls (all consecutive) and added two First Team and two Second Team All-Pro Selections.  The Dolphins still had Dan Marino, and Webb protected him as well, if not better than anyone that the Quarterback ever had.  Let's say Richmond Webb earned more than one pair of Isotoners!  Webb played for the Dolphins until he joined the Cincinnati Bengals for his final two years (2001-02).  Notably, the legendary Bruce Smith called him the "best blocker he ever faced,” and if that is not high praise, we don't know what is!

Webb would set a record for Miami with 118 consecutive starts and seven straight Pro Bowls, would be named a 2000s All-Decade Team member, and was the 16^th selection to the Dolphins Honor Roll.