New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman retired recently, and it spawned a massive wave of support for Edelman as a Hall of Famer.
Edelman had a fine career and deserves the praise for being one of the feel-good stories of the NFL over the last decade. He transformed himself from a lowly-regarded QB at Kent State into a prolific slot receiver and return specialist who churned out 12 good NFL years. But he’s absolutely not worthy of induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, not with so many other wideouts in line already.
One of those who should be at the head of the line to get in is Lions legend Herman Moore. In comparing Moore’s career to Edelman’s, it’s almost insulting to think of Edelman as the better player.
The numbers don’t lie.
| Receptions | Yards | TDs | 1,000-yard seasons | 100-catch seasons | |
| Moore | 670 | 9,174 | 62 | 4 | 3 |
| Edelman | 620 | 6,822 | 36 | 3 | 2 |
They each played 12 seasons, with Moore playing in nine more games.
Edelman doesn’t come close to Moore’s three-year peak (1995-1997). Few can. In that span, Moore caught 333 passes for 4,275 yards and 31 TDs, primarily with Scott Mitchell as his quarterback in Detroit. He led the NFL in receptions twice in that span, and his three-year receiving yardage output is among the 10 best in NFL history.
Edelman gets fluffed up for his playoff prowess. And he was indeed a very good postseason player for the Tom Brady-era Patriots. In 19 career playoff games, he caught 118 passes for over 1,400 yards and was an integral part of three Super Bowl-winning teams. He even won a Super Bowl MVP. But don’t overlook what Moore did in the postseason, again with Scott Mitchell throwing him passes instead of Tom Brady: 27 receptions, 474 yards, two TDs in seven games, including Detroit’s only postseason win of the Super Bowl era.
Edelman’s numbers simply do not stack up. Moore made three straight first-team All-Pro squads. Edelman never even earned a single Pro Bowl, not even as an injury replacement alternate. If he’s worthy of enshrinement in Canton, it needs to come after Herman Moore gets in.
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