Then There Was One: Ten Guards Left Behind by Hall Semifinalist Jahri Evans

When the Pro Football Hall of Fame released its Class of 2024 preliminary list in September, 11 guards were among the 173 players -- including two, Jahri Evans and Steve Wisniewski, who were semifinalists before. Both had a chance to advance again, but only one did.

Jahri Evans, please step forward.

The former Saints' star stood out from all others because he had strong "All" credentials -- he was all-decade for the 2010s, was a four-time consensus All-Pro and had one more second-team selection. Plus, he was a six-time Pro Bowler and owns a Super Bowl ring. 

The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder out of tiny Bloomsburg (PA.) College made the 2023 semifinalist list in his first year of eligibility and is considered a possible (probable?) finalist for the Class of 2024.

A dominant guard who was powerful and mobile for his size, Evans was the best offensive lineman on Sean Payton's "Gulf Coast Offense" teams that scored at prolific rates. In his 11 seasons in New Orleans, the Saints gained more yards than any NFL team and were outscored only by Tom Brady's Patriots. 

Led by quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints' passing game was so proficient that it produced 52,660 yards, almost 6,000 more than anyone else. And while their quarterbacks threw more passes than anyone, they were sacked the fewest times and at the lowest rate -- with Evans and his linemates largely responsible.

Caveat: Peyton Manning was sacked at a lower rate, but he played for two different teams. Even so, including him still makes Brees the quarterback sacked at the second-lowest rate in the relevant time frame. 

Evans is deserving, but he's not the only interior lineman who has NFL credentials. What follows are the 10 who must wait another year or, sadly, exit to the seniors category:

1. Ruben Brown, 1995-2007; Bills, Bears—13 years, 181 games, 181 starts. Brown was a nine-time Pro Bowler but never a first-team All-Pro. He was, however, a second-team choice four times.

A solid player, he gained a lot of love from Pro Bowl voters. But he played in an era when fan voting was part of the mix, so that may have boosted his total. He was also someone flagged for a lot of penalties -- over 100 in his career.

Still, nine trips to Hawaii is not easy to achieve. Few have done it, but that didn't matter this year. He failed to make the cut.

2. T.J. Lang, 2009-18; Packers, Lions—10 years, 138 games, 113 starts. Two Pro Bowls. This is Lang's first year of eligibility, and anyone witht any kind of All-Pro or Pro Bowl honor is automatically on the preliminary list. 

For many players, just being nominated as a preliminary candidate is the closest they get to the Hall of Fame. That's going to be the case for Lang.

3. Logan Mankins, 2005-15; Patriots, Buccaneers—11 years, 161 games 161 starts. 2010s all-decade, seven Pro Bowls. Made at least one organization's All-Pro team in three different years. 

Ironically, he played all that time with the Patriots, yet he never won a Super Bowl ring. Another guard on this list (Chris Snee), however, won two. Go figure.

Mankins was so technically sound that his tape is used to teach young guards, but he has yet to get further in the process. However, he's only been eligible four years. So if Evans does move up and eventually is inducted, Mankins may be the next guard to advance.

4. Nate Newton, 1986-99; Cowboys, Panthers—14 years, 198 games, 180 starts. Two-time All-Pro and six-time Pro Bowler. Big Nate is the owner of three Super Bowl rings and played some tackle for the Cowboys.

Dallas had a lot of good offensive linemen on its great 1990s' teams, but, so far, only Larry Allen has a Gold Jacket. As good as some of those guys were (Erik Williams, Mark Stepnoski, etc.), it seems as if it's going to stay that way -- one Cowboys Hall-of-Famer from the offensive of from that era.

By Newton not making the semis this year, he's moved to the seniors' "swamp".

5. Mark Schlereth, 1989-2000; Redskins, Broncos—12 years, 156 games, 140 starts. "Stink" had three Super Bowl rings and was twice a Pro Bowler.

Schlereth played through a lot of injuries, with 15 different surgical procedures on his left knee and five on his right. He was undersized for a guard in his era but excelled in the Broncos' zone-blocking schemes that had him blocking for Terrell Davis' 2,000-yard rushing season.

He never made any of the major All-Pro teams, but he sometimes showed up on teams picked by individual writers -- some of whom were Hall-of-Fame voters. Among them were Gordon Forbes, Les Pasquarelli, Paul Zimmerman and Gary Myers.

But those achievements likely won't be enough to push him higher than the preliminary list. It didn't this year, and next year is his last as a modern-era candidate.

6. Josh Sitton, 2008-18; Packers, Bears, Dolphins—11 years, 148 games, 138 starts. Was All-Pro in 2014 (PFWA, TSN) and a four-time Pro Bowler. A starter on the 2010 Super Bowl-winning Packers. 

Sitton's credentials are stronger than Lang's, a fellow Packers' guard, but he probably will be another Green Bay guard who doesn't have a shot at much more than being a preliminary candidate.

7. Chris Snee, 2004-13; Giants—10 years, 141 games, 141 starts. Snee was a two-time All-Pro and a four-time Pro Bowler. He played on two Super Bowl-winning teams and was a Proscout, Inc. favorite, grading the highest (blue) for several years.

Snee probably will have to settle for being one of the more underrated guards of his era, even though he has plenty of years of eligibility left.

8. Dave Szott, 1990-03; Chiefs, Redskins, Jets—14 years, 177 games, 171 starts. Another Proscout favorite. Never had bad "looks" on tape. Szott only made one All-Pro and never made a Pro Bowl.

Szott is a case of a player who was great but will never be recognized for it. 

9. Brian Waters, 2000-13; Chiefs, Patriots, Cowboys—13 years, 186 games, 170 starts. Six Pro Bowls and twice All-Pro.

A tight end and defensive end in college, Waters was converted to interior offensive line in NFL Europe. And it worked. The 6-foot-3, 320-pounder became an excellent guard and one of Chiefs' coach Dick Vermeil's favorite players.

Like Snee, he has more than a decade of eligibility left as a modern-era player, so he could gain some traction in the future. 

10. Steve Wisniewski, 1989-01; Raiders—13 years 206 games, 206 starts. He's an odd case in that he hasn't gained much Hall-of-Fame support. 

Like Szott and Snee, Wisniewski was graded very high by Proscout in multiple years. Unlike them, he also had more recognized postseason accolades -- nine Pro Bowls and five first-team All-Pro seasons, including two as a consensus choice. He also had three second-team All-Pro seasons to his credit.

Further, he was on the Hall's all-decade team of the 1990s. He even fit the Raiders' mold -- nasty and always willing to fight anyone.  That seems like a resume worthy of the Hall of Fame ... at least worthy of serious consideration. Astonishingly, he only made the semifinalists list once -- a decade ago in 2014. 

Outside of Jahri Evans, he has the best chance to take the next step, but he hasn't gotten any traction in the last decade. And that's too bad because he deserves a closer look -- as a finalist. Before that happens, however, he must first reach the semis.

Maybe next year that happens. It must because he has only two more seasons before he's banished to the senior "swamp," where dozens of Hall-of-Fame worthy candidates have disappeared.