Committee Chairman
#22 Overall, Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers Linebacker, #2 Defensive Lineman/Linebacker: Interior Lineman
2024 Pre-Season Rank #49, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #79, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #118, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #142. Peak Period: 2020-24
When you face the San Francisco 49ers (especially over the last few seasons), opposing offenses know that there is a quick-as-a-cat Middle Linebacker named Fred Warner who will make yardage up the middle a lot harder.
As one of the man-to-man interior forces in football, Warner is cruising to an All-Decade Selection, is on a run of three straight First Team All-Pros, and is a possible Defensive Player of the Year. Producing 897 Tackles over his seven seasons, Warner’s knack for the big play has played a large part in San Francisco’s playoff success since he arrived. He has yet to miss a game, and if he remains healthy, his Hall of Fame candidacy will increase exponentially on an annual basis.
#49 Overall, A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles, #8 Wide Receiver
2024 Pre-Season Rank #76, #2023 Pre-Season Rank #106, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #142, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #141. Peak Period: 2020-24
The fanbase of the Tennessee Titans is still shaking its head at the trade of A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles.
A Pro Bowl Selection in 2020, Brown was dealt to Philadelphia, and the Eagles made the correct bet, as in the three years he has been in the City of Brotherly Love, he has been named a Second Team All-Pro in all three. The primary air weapon of Jalen Hurts, Brown had back-to-back 1,400-yard seasons in 2022 and 2023, and last year, he was a massive part of the Eagles' Super Bowl win.
A star on top contender, Brown might be in the shadow of other wideouts, but is on track for a Canton-worthy career.
#82 Overall, Nick Chubb: Cleveland Browns, #7 Running Back
2024 Pre-Season Rank #84, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #91, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #114, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #140. Peak Period: 2018-22
Chubb emerged as the top rusher for an improving Browns offense and was a perennial Pro Bowl Selection from 2019 to 2022. He likely would have been again last year, but he tore his ACL in Week 2 and is not expected back until October. Chubb would return, but he has not been close to what he was. He begins 2025 with the Houston Texans, and his peak seems like a long time ago.
#17 Overall, Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills, #5 Quarterback
2024 Pre-Season Rank #39, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #69, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #98, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #117. Peak Period: 2020-24.
What Josh Allen accomplished last season was incredible.
The Buffalo Bills entered the year battered and bruised, and Allen took the team on his back and brought them to the AFC Championship game, where they fell 32-29 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Allen won the 2024 MVP, having thrown 3,731 Yards with a 28-6 TD-INT ratio, with 531 Rushing Yards and 12 TDs.
The MVP was not unexpected for Allen, who has been one of the game’s top dual-threat QBs since 2020, and there is no reason to think he can’t do it again. The Hall looks for more from a QB, and that comes with a Super Bowl, or at the very least, a Super Bowl appearance. Allen and the Bills are capable of that, and when that happens, the Hall will come calling.