For the second straight year, it looked like former running back Fred Taylor was going to become the second player in Jacksonville Jaguars history to get inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. But it wasn't meant to be, and he once again got snubbed despite having a strong case to get the ultimate individual accomplishment in the NFL.
Taylor has been a semifinalist six times and this was the second time he had made it to the final round. Once again, the 1999 first-round draft pick will have to wait to join former Jaguars left tackle and teammate Tony Boselli in the Hall of Fame.
As a member of the Jaguars, the former Florida Gator appeared in 153 games with 137 starts and toted the rock 2,534 times for 11,695 yards with 66 touchdowns. He left in 2009 and joined the New England Patriots, where he racked up 106 carries for 424 yards with four touchdowns.
While Taylor got snubbed (again), the following players made the cut.
- Eric Allen, cornerback
- Jared Allen, defensive end
- Sterling Sharpe, receiver
- Antonio Gates, tight end
And aside from the Jaguars legend, the players below also came up short.
- Torry Holt, wide receiver
- Luke Kuechly, linebacker
- Eli Manning, quarterback
- Steve Smith Sr., wide receiver
- Terrell Suggs, defensive end, outside linebacker
- Adam Vinatieri, kicker
- Reggie Wayne, wide receiver
- Darren Woodson, safety
- Mashal Yanda, offensive guard
- Jahri Evans, offensive guard
It's also worth noting that Torry Holt played one season in Jacksonville but he's known for being a key cog for the Los Angeles (then St. Louis) Rams during The Greatest Show on the Turf era. That's why his induction didn't resonate as much with Jaguars fans.
What's preventing Jaguars legend Fred Taylor from getting over the hump in the Hall of Fame?
There have been a few things working against Fred Taylor's candidacy. For starters, he played running back, a position that's seen its value diminish severely the past 20 years. On top of that, he wasn't the top running back during his era and only garnered one Pro Bowl nod throughout his career. The likes of LaDainian Tomlinson, Shaun Alexander, and Adrian Peterson were arguably better in the 2000s and routinely overshadowed him during his heyday.
If that wasn't enough, Taylor played in Jacksonville, one of the smallest NFL markets nearly his whole career, so he didn't get the spotlight nearly as much if he had suited up for either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Dallas Cowboys. Ultimately, it all added up and despite his accomplishments, he didn't do enough in the eyes of Pro Football Hall-of-Fame voters to enshrine him.
The silver lining is that the HOF needs to recognize Fred Taylor at some point because outside of Derrick Henry, no other running back has played well enough to make the cut. Sure, it would've been great to see him get the nod, and the wait won't be pleasant. But as disappointing as things were, he'll get his due at some point.
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