Mississippi State Bulldogs to the football Hall of Fame?
Mississippi State has never had a former player selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There have been multiple Bulldogs who put together solid careers in the NFL, but none yet have gotten the call to the Hall.
Well ESPN's Bill Barnwell POSTED THIS PIECE on Wednesday that projected future Hall of Famers for all 32 NFL teams. In it, he gives pretty good odds that one day in the not-too-distant future, MSU will be represented in Canton.
Here's a quick look at the three former Bulldogs Barnwell mentioned in his article and the odds he gives them to one day be Hall of Famers. It bears noting that Barnwell developed his evaluations by looking at only players' current resumes. He attempted to take a lot of the guess work out of what players might do in the future and instead focused on what they've already done and compared that to players from the past at similar points in their career. Thus former MSU players like defensive linemen Jeffery Simmons and Montez Sweat, with just one year in the NFL, won't be found here.
Here are the three Bulldogs that were noted as having Hall of Fame chances by Barnwell:
Dak Prescott - QB - Dallas Cowboys
Barnwell puts Prescott in his "In the running" category, meaning he believes Prescott has a 40 to 69 percent chance to one day be a Hall of Famer. Specifically, here is what Barnwell writes on the Bulldog legend:
Prescott has made two Pro Bowls over his first four seasons, but his best résumé point is winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2016. Of the 35 Hall-eligible players who have won that trophy since the merger, 11 are in, and that number will rise in the years to come.
So no, it doesn't appear it's anywhere near a slam dunk that Prescott is bound for the Hall. But he's on a path where, with a few more impressive notes in that resume, he could certainly one day be enshrined.
Fletcher Cox - DT - Philadelphia Eagles
Like with Prescott, Barnwell has Cox in the "In the running" category, projecting a 40 to 69 percent chance he'll get to the Hall of Fame. According to Barnwell, Cox's five consecutive Pro Bowls and one First-Team All-Pro selection are of course stepping stones towards the Hall of Fame. However it's noted Cox likely needs to keep his Pro Bowl streak alive if he wants to keep climbing the ladder towards Canton.
Darius Slay - CB - Philadelphia Eagles
Slay landed in Barnwell's "Work to do" category, meaning Slay is seen as someone with a 10 to 39 percent chance to get into the Hall someday. Over his first seven pro seasons – all of those with the Detroit Lions – Slay has at least laid the foundation for a run at getting enshrined as he was selected to the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons and was a First-Team All-Pro in 2017. If he keeps adding to the resume in Philadelphia, a Hall call is certainly on the table, though Barnwell believes Slay has a good bit more work to do than the other two former Bulldogs on his list.
Do you believe these three Bulldogs will one day be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Are there others you think have a good shot? Chris Jones? Jeffery Simmons? Make sure you're following Cowbell Corner and share your thoughts below.
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