Generally, non-quarterbacks don’t have spectacular seasons in their 30s, but Henry Ellard did.  In fact, he really didn’t become a star in the National Football League until he turned 27.

The first few years of Henry Ellard’s career were fairly nondescript, but he would then see his number called more often, and he responded with seven seasons of 1,000 yards or more.   He became the Rams’ go-to receiver and would perform the same duty as a Washington Redskin.  He excelled as a brilliant route runner, but his talents often went unnoticed in the Jerry Rice era. 

What also hurts his Hall of Fame candidacy is that for all the yards he tabulated through passes, his touchdown tally (65) is relatively low.  Without that sexy statistic and with only three Pro Bowl berths, this could explain why someone who accumulated so many yards (13,777) has not been given serious consideration for enshrinement.

Generally, if you are selected to eight Pro Bowls in a decade, regardless of your position, it stands to reason that you won’t be forgotten.  Somehow, Cornerback Lemar Parrish managed to slip through the cracks of football consciousness as his legacy just doesn’t seem as big as it should be.

You can’t be selected to eight Pro Bowls in eleven years without being consistent.  Parrish was certainly that, but while he was a top Cornerback, he was also a top Punt Returner for the first half of his career.  Once he stopped returning punts, Parrish would actually have some of his best years at Cornerback as he landed his only First Team All-Pro selection at the age of 32.  Parrish matched any attacking Wide Receiver man-to-man, and that skill can be argued as to why longtime Bengals teammate, Ken Riley entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame years later.

As freakishly consistent as Lemar Parrish was, he was never considered the best at his position.  This is certainly one of those cases, where a year of dominance would have done wonders for his Hall of Fame cause, though he has all the good for Canton as is.

When you think of great San Francisco quarterbacks, you automatically think of Joe Montana and Steve Young. Before them, there was a very good one named John Brodie who put up great numbers without the supporting cast that Montana and Young had.

John Brodie was one of the game's early gunslingers, and most of the time he had to be. The 49ers of the 1960s were not a great team, and Brodie was often the main reason they were competitive. By the time the 1970s rolled around, Brodie had a better team around him, and though he was finally playoff-bound, the Niners could not get past the Cowboys for three years in a row. Still, Brodie won the 1970 MVP and was given more respect around the league.

Because he had to take a lot of chances, John Brodie’s interception rate was fairly high, and he finished his career with more picks than touchdown passes. This could be why he has never been a semifinalist for the Hall, and with the San Francisco 49ers reaching great heights in the 1980s, virtually every Niners star before them has been forgotten. John Brodie deserves better than that.

Out of all the people on this list, we will say up front that there is zero chance that Jim Tyrer will get into the Football Hall of Fame.  Killing your wife and committing suicide thereafter is sadly what Tyrer is best known for, and this has led to him being ostracized by the NFL.

Had Tyrer not broken down in his personal life, his on-field accomplishments may have been enough to get him into Canton.  He was arguably the best offensive lineman in the AFL and was a multiple-time AFL All-Star.  He was voted to the all-time AFL team and was a big part of opening holes for Chiefs runners for years.  Tyrer may very well be the best lineman that Kansas City ever had.

Again, his off-field circumstances will prevent him from enshrinement, though with what we now know about CTE, we have to wonder if he might have had that.  He was a finalist once in his first year of eligibility, but was left off afterward until he made a shock return as a Senior Finalist in 2025.  He won’t be back.