Which Carolina Panthers great could be joining Julius Peppers in Canton, Ohio? Well, 16 of them will at least have a shot.
On Wednesday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced 167 preliminary nominees for their 2025 class. Among those listed were 16 former Panthers.
Those players are as follows:
- QB Jake Delhomme
- RB Stephen Davis
- RB/WR Eric Metcalf
- WR Muhsin Muhammad
- WR Steve Smith Sr.
- TE Wesley Walls
- TE Jeremy Shockey
- OT Jordan Gross
- C Ryan Kalil
- DE Jared Allen
- LB Jessie Armstead
- LB Luke Kuechly
- LB Lee Woodall
- S Eugene Robinson
- CB Charles Tillman
- K John Kasay
Headlining the group is Kuechly, who is now in his first year of eligibility for the honor. The 2013 NFL Defensive Player of the Year and seven-time All-Pro spoke about the possibility of being a first-ballot Hall of Famer back in February.
“I think when you think about the Hall of Fame, it’s obviously awesome,” Kuechly said on an episode of Up & Adams. “It’s the highest honor that you can have as a football player on an individual basis. And you look at the guys that got in there at the linebacker position, the guys I grew up watching—Derrick Brooks, Brian Urlacher, Ray Lewis, obviously Pep got in. Those three guys that I mentioned and then Patrick [Willis]. And all of ’em were a little bit different.”
Former cornerback DeAngelo Hall, who is currently the assistant defensive backs coach for Carolina, was also one of the 167 nominees.
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