Torry Holt, Wide Receiver
Teams Played For: St. Louis Rams (1999-2008), Jacksonville Jaguars (2009)
Career Stats/Highlights: 920 receptions, 13,382 yards, 74 touchdowns, 7-time Pro Bowler, 1-time All-Pro, 1-time Super Bowl champion, 2000s All-Decade Team
If Megatron got in as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, then it’s time to put Torry Holt in Canton. Best known for his 10 seasons with the Rams, Holt was a dynamo in the passing offense for many, many years. In fact, from 2000-07, he never finished with fewer than 1,188 yards in a season and also went over 1,600 yards twice in that span as well.
Throw in the fact that he was a key component of the Greatest Show on Turf and captured a Super Bowl ring as part of that, it’s hard to ignore the wide receiver’s résumé and, despite a loaded list of first-time eligible wideouts, Holt is the one I’m giving the first nod to.
Tony Boselli, Offensive Tackle
Teams Played For: Jacksonville Jaguars (1995-2001), Houston Texans (2002)
Career Stats/Highlights: 5-time Pro Bowler, 3-time All-Pro, 1990s All-Decade Team
Because Tony Boselli only played seven seasons in the NFL (his eighth with the Texans was spent entirely on Injured Reserve prior to his retirement), he’s a tough case study into how good a player has to be to get in if they lacked longevity. Harkening back to Calvin Johnson again, though, it’s hard not to look at a player who was at the top of his position for a multi-year run and not think he’s deserving.
Boselli was every bit of that from his left tackle spot. The fact he was a First-Team All-Pro selection for three-straight years from 1997-99 in an era when some all-time elite players at offensive tackle were in the mix speaks to how dominant he was, as does the fact that he was a selection for the Hall’s All-Decade Team for the 1990s.