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Joe Thomas, Darrelle Revis, Devin Hester lead finalists for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023

The field of 15 finalists will learn their fate on Feb. 9

Jack Baer
Staff writer
·2 min read
493

The Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023 is going to have a competitive ballot on its hands.

The field of 15 modern-era finalists were announced via NFL Network on Wednesday, whittled down from a field of 129 nominees in September and 28 semifinalists in November.

The group includes arguably the greatest offensive lineman in football history, one of the past decade's most famous lockdown cornerbacks, Nos. 10, 11 and 17 on the NFL all-time receiving yard list, Nos. 9 and 18 on the sack list and the greatest return man of all time.

Here's the full list:

Among that group, only Thomas, Revis and Freeney are new entrants. Johnson, Ware and Hester were all first-time finalists last year, but none of them made the cut.

Thomas figures to be the shoo-in of the group, as it's hard to see a man who made 10 straight Pro Bowls with six first-team All-Pro selections and the NFL record for most consecutive snaps played missing out. Revis (seven Pro Bowls, four first-team All-Pros) probably isn't far behind given the cultural cachet of "Revis Island."

The group of inductees will be announced during the NFL Honors show on Feb. 9 on NBC, Peacock and NFL Network.

FILE - In this Dec. 10, 2017, file photo, Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas sits on the bench during an NFL football game between the Cleveland Browns and the Green Bay Packers, in Cleveland. Thomas was selected to the 2010s NFL All-Decade Team announced Monday, April 6, 2020, by the NFL and the Pro Football Hall of Fame. (AP Photo/David Richard)
Joe Thomas has an overwhelming Hall of Fame case. (AP Photo/David Richard)