The Pro Football Hall of Fame is about to welcome five more names on Saturday, with Drew Brees and Larry Fitzgerald leading the 2026 class as first-ballot picks. That annual announcement always kicks up the same next question: who among today’s stars is building a bronze-bust résumé?
For Florida high school products, the list is already pretty strong. Some cases are obvious.
Others are still being written. And a few are more about projection than certainty.
Derrick Henry sits near the top of that conversation. The Ravens running back out of Yulee has piled up 13,018 rushing yards and 122 rushing touchdowns in 10 seasons, along with five receiving touchdowns.
He won Offensive Player of the Year in 2020, earned first-team All-Pro honors that season, and has made five Pro Bowls. The production is hard to ignore: a 2,000-yard season in 2020, seven seasons with at least 1,000 rushing yards, and eight straight years with at least 10 touchdowns.
He’s already 10th all-time in rushing yards, fourth in rushing touchdowns and 10th in total touchdowns. The knock is that he has never offered much as a receiver and has had some rough playoff outings, including 40 yards on 18 carries against the Ravens in 2020.
Even so, the conclusion is straightforward: “He's a Hall of Famer. If Henry retired today, he'd be in line for a gold jacket.
He will turn 33 this season, but hasn't showed signs of slowing down. Now, it's just about trying to win that elusive Super Bowl ring and continue to rise up the career rankings.”
Lamar Jackson’s case is just as compelling, even if the path looks a little different. The Boynton Beach native has been in the league eight seasons, won MVP in 2019 and 2023, and was a three-time first-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler.
His career totals include 22,608 passing yards, 187 passing yards, 6,522 rushing yards and 35 rushing touchdowns. Jackson’s supporters can point to the fact that he was the league’s first unanimous MVP in 2019, came within 26 points of Josh Allen in the 2024 MVP race, owns the NFL’s all-time quarterback rushing record and shares the highest career passer rating mark with Aaron Rodgers at 102.2.
The concerns are real, too. Injuries have touched three of his seven seasons as a full-time starter, and the playoff résumé is uneven: the Ravens are 3-5, he’s completed 60.6 percent of his passes in the postseason, and he has 10 passing touchdowns against seven interceptions.
Still, the verdict lands on the right side of the line: “He'll be a Hall of Famer. Not certain he's a lock today, but those two MVP awards will carry a lot of weight and he's still only 29 years old.”
Khalil Mack has the kind of résumé that already sounds like a Hall of Fame card. The Chargers edge rusher from Fort Pierce Westwood has played 12 seasons, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2016, made the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-2010s Team, earned three first-team All-Pro nods and been selected to nine Pro Bowls.
His career totals include 113 sacks, 148 tackles for loss and 33 forced fumbles. Mack has been a steady wrecking ball off the edge, with five seasons of double-digit sacks and eight seasons of at least eight.
He holds the Chargers record for sacks in a game and is tied with Hall of Famer Howie Long for the Raiders single-game sack mark. He also made history as the first player in NFL history to be named first-team All-Pro at two positions in the same year.
The downside is a pair of quieter Chicago seasons, including an injury-hit 2021, and a postseason record that’s hard to spin: his teams are 0-6 in the playoffs, and he was held without a sack in four of those games. Even with that, the verdict is leaning strongly in his favor: “Probably a Hall of Famer.
Mack came back for a 13th season after dealing with an elbow injury in 2025. Another season like his 2023 campaign (17 sacks, 21 tackles for loss, five forced fumbles) would make him a lock.”
Nick Bosa is in a different spot. The 49ers edge rusher from St.
Thomas Aquinas has already stacked up plenty: seven seasons, Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019, Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, first-team All-Pro in 2022, five Pro Bowls, 278 tackles, 64.5 sacks and 91 tackles for loss. When he’s on the field, he’s as disruptive as anyone.
In every season in which he has played at least 14 games, Bosa has delivered at least nine sacks, at least 15 tackles for loss and a Pro Bowl trip. He also has three double-digit sack seasons and 10 sacks in 12 postseason games as the 49ers reached the Super Bowl twice.
But the durability questions are too loud right now. He missed almost all of 2020 and 2025 with ACL injuries, has hurt both knees, and is coming off surgery to repair his right ACL.
The source’s conclusion is blunt: “He's not a Hall of Famer. Bosa isn't there yet and now has to deal with coming back from, a second serious knee injury in his NFL career.
He also needs to hit more statistical benchmarks to really be considered. Getting to the 100-sack mark would help.”
Patrick Surtain II may be the youngest name on the list, but he’s already forcing his way into the discussion. The Broncos cornerback from American Heritage has played five seasons, won Defensive Player of the Year in 2024, earned two first-team All-Pro selections and made four Pro Bowls.
He has 279 tackles, 12 interceptions and 59 passes defended, and the case for him starts with how he changes games at corner. He’s described as one of the best in the NFL, maybe the best, with the ability to erase an opponent’s top receiver every week.
He’s also the first cornerback in league history to win Defensive Player of the Year. The caution is simple: the résumé is still short.
He needs more years and more sustained excellence. The source points to Terrell Davis, who played just 78 games - the fewest among Hall of Famers from the last 30 years - but notes that Surtain has played in 80 games and doesn’t have Davis’ two Super Bowl rings.
The bottom line: “He's not a Fall of Famer yet. Terrell Davis appeared in just 78 games, the fewest of any NFL Hall of Famer who played in the last 30 years.
Surtain has played in 80 games and doesn't have Davis' two Super Bowl rings. He's well on his way, though.”
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