The 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame class will be announced the day before Super Bowl LII in Minnesota, and a pair of former Vikings could headline the list.
Former Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss and former Minnesota guard Steve Hutchinson are eligible for the honor for the first time.
Ben Goessling of ESPN.com took a look at each player's potential chances of making it to Canton.
Goessling wrote:
Moss ranks second in NFL history in receiving touchdowns, third in receiving yards, tied for fourth in overall touchdowns and 15th in receptions, though voters' reluctance to usher a slew of prominent wideouts into the Hall of Fame could mean things are somewhat tricky for Moss. Terrell Owens, who caught more passes, posted more yards and matched Moss in overall touchdowns, was denied entry to the Hall of Fame again on Saturday, and receivers like Tim Brown, Andre Reed and Cris Carter had to wait for years before hearing their names called.
There's an argument to be made that none of those receivers was as dominant, or did more to change the nature of defenses in the NFL, than Moss at his peak; the Green Bay Packers used the first three picks of their 1999 draft on defensive backs after Moss burned them twice in his rookie season, and the rise of the Tampa-2 scheme can be attributed, in some ways, to teams looking for a way to keep Moss from getting downfield. As the proceedings take place in the town where Moss crafted the bulk of his legacy, his candidacy figures to be one of the more intriguing cases in the 2018 class.
Moss, who spent eight seasons in Purple, had 982 career receptions for 15,292 yards and 156 receiving touchdowns. Moss had 10 seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards, and nine seasons of double-digit touchdowns. He was named to the 2000s All-Decade Team by the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Hutchinson spent six seasons with the Vikings from 2006-2011.
Hutchinson, who was named to two All-Pro teams and played in his only Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks before coming to the Vikings, made four more Pro Bowls and three more All-Pro teams in his six seasons with Minnesota, starting 89 of a possible 96 games for the Vikings. The Pro Football Hall of Fame named Hutchinson to its first-team all-decade squad for the 2000s.
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Vikings are middle of the pack in early power rankings
The 2017 NFL season is officially here, meaning it's never too early to see where teams stand.
Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com recently revealed his early power rankings for 2017 and had the Vikings at No. 18 following their 8-8 season.
Seifert wrote:
An avalanche of injuries mixed with some dysfunction reversed the fortunes of a team that won 16 of 21 games between the start of 2015 and Week 5 of the 2016 season. The franchise appears to have transitioned at quarterback, out of necessity, from Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Bradford. But no matter who plays, the Vikings have what is likely a multiyear rebuilding project at offensive line. Bradford isn't the type of quarterback who can thrive consistently without protection.
Seifert added that Minnesota's defense will give opponents more headaches in 2017.
*An overhaul of the offensive coaching staff, led by new coordinator Pat Shurmur, should better marry the team's personnel scheme, and the Vikings remain strong from a personnel standpoint on defense. *
