With only 64 spots, it takes much more than a yellow jacket from Canton to make the cut, especially as an at-large entrant. Even if I were to expand the field to 128 I would be honestly still be leaving a lot of all-time greats out. Only if I were to expand to 256 I would be covering most whom are currently enshrined in Canton.
As an at-large, it would take an RPI number of about 50 or lower to realistically make the list. As is the case with the NCAA Tournament, the number 15 and 16 seeds comprise of players who would not be on the list if not being given the crown as their team’s UFP. Three of the 15 seeds would rank borderline top-100 while the 16s are ranked between 230 and 300 per Pro Football Reference.
As might be expected, quarterbacks have by far the greatest representation – comprising nearly 25 percent of the field, eight of the automatic bids and 15 players from the position overall. 19 of the overall bids and 35 players overall are from the skill positions. In all, 39 players are on offense, 25 on the defensive side of the ball.
