BL Hall of Fame Watch
by Lucky
In order to promote the great AI of our great league, Dan and I put our heads together to highlight the rookies of our league we believe should be on people’s radars as we progress and inevitably put together a Madden 24 Hall of Fame class.
The following players were selected based on their contributions thus far. It was not at all meant to project future production. We put all the players mentioned into three different tiers. The first is the tier of guys we believe would make the Hall of Fame if they were to continue their trajectory based on their first season. The second tier players look really good, but have to do some work if they want to get the call when all is said and done. The last tier is comprised of players anybody would be happy to draft, all good starters, but realistically have to put in a lot of improvement if they want to make the Hall of Fame.
QB:
Should get in: Deion McMillon (SF)
Needs to show a little more: Morgan Rowe (TB), Korbin Caldwell (CHI), Sheldon Guy (ARI)
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: None
Deion McMillon is the crown jewel of the class so far, leading all rookies by far in Comp% (74.5%), Passer Rating (126.3) and TDs (46). Caldwell and Rowe have done their work efficiently through the air, as both broke 4000 yards while maintaining high passer ratings and relatively low interception totals compared to the rest of their class. Guy gets it done the other way, as he had somewhat pedestrian passing numbers, but added over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
RB:
Should get in: Cole Shields (BUF), Johnny Northcutt (MIN), RJ Canty (DAL)
Needs to show a little more: Orlando Lawrence (NYG), Jerry Bradham (BAL), Montrell Johnson (NE)
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: None
Shields would have ran away with the best RB in the AFC award if Breece Hall didn’t exist. His 1800/27 TD rookie season was head and shoulders above the nex best rookie. Northcutt and Canty were no slouches either, as Northcutt finished with almost 1,800 yards himself and 16 touchdowns, while Canty was a dual threat, combining for over 2,000 yards of total offense.
WR:
Should get in: Deangelo Williams (LAR)
Needs to show a little more: Josh Gardner (HOU), Markail Cooke (TB), Avery McCulllers (TB)
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: Dom Monk (CHI)
Williams burst on the scene early, and likely would have challenged every receiving record we have if he didn’t get hurt and miss 6 and a half games. Gardner was very close to joining Williams in the top tier, but he’s so borderline, we decided to leave him here for now. Cooke and McCullers team up with Rowe to create a formidable trio of rookie offensive weapons in Tampa Bay.
TE:
Should get in: Bryce Wayne
Needs to show a little more: None
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: Colt Kilmer (CIN), Will McDonald (LAC)
Wayne ended up being one of the best TEs in the entire league as a rookie, leading the position in catches and yards. Kilmer and McDonald both proved to be capable starters as rookies, with Kilmer leading all rookies in yards per catch, and McDonald becoming an immediate red zone threat in LA.
DL:
Should get in: Dante Harris (LAC)
Needs to show a little more: Jermaine Gilchrist (JAX), Jose Rodgers (IND), Derek Cross (NE)
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: Matthew Andrews (MIN), Alonzo Humphries (CLE)
Another rookie that was in major awards conversations, Harris absolutely blew up offensive lines all season. And while they couldn’t quite match up with his raw sack numbers, Gilchrist, Rodgers and Cross all broke the 10 sack/20 TFL barrier. Andrews looks strong, but he needs to be more disruptive in the run game if he wants to join the next tier. He had the sacks (10), but had half the TFLs as the next group.
LB:
Should get in: None
Needs to show a little more: Brian Poole (MIN), Eddie Henderson (LAC)
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: James Miner (BUF)
Our only position to not receive a top tier player, this is a group of well rounded, but not quite standout players. What pushed Poole and Henderson ahead were turnovers, as Poole added 4 INTs to his sack/TFL total and Henderson led the league with 6 FFs
CB:
Should get in: Thomas Hix (SEA), Micah Haskins
Needs to show a little more: None
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: Jawuan McLaughlin (NO), Mike Jones, Bradley Keenan
Hix and Haskins separated themselves from the group with their absurd INT totals (10 and 7, respectively). McLaughlin, Jones and Keenan all had really solid rookie years with 5 picks, but they need to add more to that if they want to make the leap.
Safety:
Should get in: Jarred Henry (NYJ)
Needs to show a little more: None
Good starters, but not close to the conversation: Malcolm Portis, Pat McCord
Henry stood out with his 8 INTs and 2 defensive touchdowns, while Portis and McCord, similar to the CBs, had a number of interceptions, but otherwise need to add more to their resume.
