Page 2: NFL Hall of Fame

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
16	16	8	10	13	63

11. Brian Urlacher

Depending on whom you ask, Urlacher might be the best defensive player in the NFL today. He boasts a rare combination of range and versatility that have him on the fast track to Canton. An impact player since his rookie season, Urlacher has a long list of accomplishments, including six Pro Bowl selections in seven seasons. He was the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2000 and the Defensive Player of the Year in 2005, making him one of only five players to have claimed both honors. Excluding his injury-shortened 2004 campaign, Urlacher has averaged 129.1 tackles (99.3 solo) per season during his career.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
17	16	14	5	10	62

12. Orlando Pace

Orlando Pace and pancakes. The two have been synonymous since before Pace was the first player taken in the 1997 draft. Pace has contributed mightily to the success of Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson and provided consistent protection to Kurt Warner and Marc Bulger en route to seven Pro Bowl selections in 10 seasons. As talented as the Rams were in 1999, it's difficult to imagine them winning the Super Bowl without Pace making sure that the stationary Warner stayed upright.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
18	16	10	4	14	62

13. Michael Strahan

Mind the gap? Indeed. Strahan is one of only four players to lead the league in sacks more than once, including a single-season record 22½ in 2001. (Of course, Deacon Jones reportedly had 26 in 1967, before the category was officially recognized. But we digress.) Strahan is the active leader in career sacks (we'll consider him active until he announces his retirement), and he was selected to seven Pro Bowls in a nine-season span from 1997-2005. The rugged Strahan also didn't miss a game from 1996-2003 and was the 2001 Defensive Player of the Year.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
20	16	10	2	13	61

14. Junior Seau

Seau has been punishing ballcarriers and quarterbacks since 1990, when many of today's stars had yet to begin puberty. Drafted fifth overall by the Chargers, Seau is the only 1990 first-rounder still active in the NFL. He's recorded more than 100 tackles eight times, has 53 career sacks and was named to 12 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1991-2002. Seau was named to the 1990s All-Decade team by the Hall of Fame and has been named first-team All-Pro six times.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
18	16	8	8	11	61

15. Tony Gonzalez

The first notable hoopster turned pass-catcher, Gonzalez is well on his way to becoming the most prolific pass-catching tight end in NFL history. Gonzalez is only one touchdown away from tying Shannon Sharpe's career record of 62 by a tight end. Gonzalez is likely to surpass Sharpe in receptions and receiving yards in 2008. Gonzalez already has equaled Sharpe with eight Pro Bowl appearances. In 2004, Gonzalez became the first tight end to catch more than 100 passes in a season.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
11	13	14	12	10	60

16. Dwight Freeney

The speedy Freeney has been named to the Pro Bowl three times in five seasons. He has recorded fewer than 11 sacks in a season just once -- in 2006 when he battled shoulder and leg injuries. By winning a Super Bowl ring last season, he raised his Hall of Fame stock considerably, and it's reasonable to expect that Indy's Super Bowl window will remain open for at least a couple more years. The Colts evidently consider Freeney irreplaceable, having recently made him the NFL's highest-paid defender, to the tune of $30 million guaranteed.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
16	14	6	10	14	60

17. Champ Bailey

Bailey has all the qualities you would want in a cornerback: speed, intelligence, instincts, agility, big-play ability and textbook form. After being drafted in the first round by the Redskins in 1999, Bailey quickly emerged as one of the game's elite corners. Since being traded to Denver in 2004, he has recorded 21 interceptions and finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting in 2006. At 28, it's reasonable to predict that Bailey will be able to play at an elite level for many years to come.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
18	14	14	4	9	59

18. Derrick Brooks

Has there been a more consistent linebacker over the past decade? Brooks hasn't missed a regular-season game in his career and was selected to 10 consecutive Pro Bowls from 1997-2006. Not even Ray Lewis has exhibited that level of continued excellence. Brooks' career reached its apex in 2002, when he was named Defensive Player of the Year and helped the Buccaneers win their first Super Bowl title. He has recorded more than 100 tackles in each of the past 11 seasons and has been named a first-team All-Pro five times.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
16	14	14	6	8	58

19. Warren Sapp

A stalwart of Tampa Bay's smothering defenses of the late 1990s and early 2000s, Sapp fell off the radar to an extent during his first two seasons in Oakland. The Raiders struggled, and so did Sapp. But let's not forget that Sapp has been named to seven Pro Bowls in 12 seasons, was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1999, and won a ring in Super Bowl XXXVII with the Buccaneers. Also not to be overlooked, Sapp recorded 10 sacks last season for a solid Oakland defense. A slimmer Sapp might be able to clinch his invitation to Canton with another big season in 2007.

Mort.	Stats	Team	Upside	Int.	Total
14	12	14	8	10	58

20. Torry Holt

Holt quietly has established himself as one of the best receivers of his generation. He won a Super Bowl as a rookie in 1999 and has been named to six Pro Bowl squads. He led the NFL with 117 receptions in 2003 and has more receiving yards (9,887) than any player since 2000. Holt was the first NFL player to record 1,300 receiving yards for six consecutive seasons and reached the 600-reception plateau in 107 games, second-fastest in league history. He also owns two of the nine highest single-season receiving yardage totals since 1960 (1,696 in '03 and 1,635 in '00).

Cantonized: Hall of Fame predictions

• Selections 1-10
• Selections 21-30
• Selections 31-40
• Selections 41-50
• On the bubble
• Odd men out
• The list: 1-50

Source: ESPN.com