How many Pro Football Hall of Famers are there? Listing most recent inductees

In just over a month's time, a new class of gridiron legends will be immortalized when they enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Last year's class saw plenty of defensive stalwarts join, with only one of the former players being an offensive player: tackle Joe Thomas, who is considered one of the best at his position even though his Cleveland Browns were the NFL's laughingstocks for nearly his entire tenure.

This year, the Hall will grow to 378 members when these men finally get to see their busts and don the famed yellow jacket...

---

1) Randy Gradishar

SiriusXM at Super Bowl LVIII – Feb 9

The "Orange Crush" was historic for a reason: it gave the Denver Broncos their first ever playoff berth after years of trying. And it became something more - their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.

Randy Gradishar was the centerpiece of that defense. Spending his entire decade-long career in orange and blue, he racked up the following accolades:

• NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1978)
• 2× First-team All-Pro (1977, 1978)
• 3× Second-team All-Pro (1979, 1981, 1983)
• 7× Pro Bowl (1975, 1977–1979, 1981–1983))

2) Steve McMichael

Steve McMichael

The Chicago Bears, already the most heavily represented team in the Hall of Fame, get three more former players in. One of them is Steve McMichael.

"Mongo" is not exactly the most accomplished player in the class, but he established himself as one of the league's longest-tenured players. He would play for 15 years, but his 13 years with the Bears is highly revered as one of the best of all time.

It is not easy to see why. He won Super Bowl XX as a member of one of the greatest defenses to ever play the game, and was also a multiple-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler.

3) Devin Hester

Chicago Bears v Green Bay Packers

Speaking of the Chicago Bears, their other 2024 inductee is profoundly historic.

Devin Hester is the first return specialist to be enshrined in Canton. That position has historically been highly undervalued and underappreciated, but his explosivity and prolific nature elevated that position to one that most coaches are more willing to take seriously nowadays.

Among other accolades, he was a four-time All Pro and Pro Bowler during his playing career and holds the record for most career return touchdowns, at 20. Fourteen of them came from punts, also a league record.

4) Andre Johnson

Houston Texans v Oakland Raiders

Speaking of making history, Andre Johnson is the first-ever player who was mainly a Houston Texan to join the Hall of Fame.

Drafted third overall in 2003, he was among the premier receivers of the 2000s and early 2010s, amassing seven 1,000-yard seasons, which were coincidentally the same times he made the Pro Bowl (he was also an All-Pro for four of them). Towards the end of his tenure with the Texans, he made the playoffs twice, going as far as the Divisional Round in both.

5) Julius Peppers

Atlanta Falcons v Carolina Panthers

Julius Peppers can easily be considered one of the most successful defensive ends of all time. He was a dominant pass rusher who had at least one season with double-digit sacks for each of the three teams he played for (Carolina Panthers, Chicago Bears, and Green Bay Packers)

He also reached at least the NFC Championship Game and was named to at least one Pro Bowl with said teams, a testament to the high level that he maintained over the course of his career.

6) Dwight Freeney

Miami Dolphins v Indianapolis Colts

When one thinks of the 2000s Indianapolis Colts, the first name that comes to mind is Peyton Manning. After all, he is considered one of the most dominant quarterbacks of all time.

But Dwight Freeney deserves his share of the credit as well. Whenever "The Sheriff" started embarrassing his opponents with long completions and touchdowns, opposing coaches, even the more run-oriented ones, would demand more passing, giving the four-time All-Pro and seven-time Pro Bowler plenty of opportunities to sack the quarterback.

7) Patrick Willis

New York Giants v San Francisco 49ers

Patrick Willis played only eight seasons in the NFL, but he was as dominant a linebacker as they come in that time.

The San Francisco 49ers had been a dead franchise when they drafted him 11th overall in 2007, but he immediately impressed, becoming a first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler and leading the league in both solo and combined tackles as the undisputed Defensive Rookie of the Year. He would soon become a key piece in their return to contendership, reaching Super Bowl 47 at the conclusion of the 2012 season.