The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced their 15 finalists on Thursday, and former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Terrell Owens is among the group. He joins 14 regular finalists, two senior finalists, and Eddie DeBartolo as a contributor finalist. The selection committee will meet on February 6, 2016 to elect the Class of 2016. No more than five modern era finalists can be selected in a given year.
In looking at the group of 15 below, Brett Favre is a lock, and I would assume Alan Faneca will get in as a first year nominee. Last year's finalists included Orlando Pace, Kevin Greene, Kurt Warner, Marvin Harrison, and Tony Dungy. I think Terrell Owens deserves induction, but my guess is he falls short this first time given the carry-over from last year. It's kind of ridiculous to a certain extent, but I would be surprised if TO got in before Harrison.
The NFL pulled the contributor list aside last year to prevent a log-jam of those people. Eddie DeBartolo will be voted on with a simple yes/no vote, and needs 80 percent support, according to Pro Football Talk.
The full list of finalists includes:
K Morten Andersen
S Steve Atwater
Coach Don Coryell
RB Terrell Davis
Coach Tony Dungy
OG Alan Faneca
QB Brett Favre
OLB/DE Kevin Greene
WR Marvin Harrison
OT Joe Jacoby
RB Edgerrin James
S John Lynch
WR Terrell Owens
OT Orlando Pace
QB Kurt Warner
QB Ken Stabler - Senior finalist
OG Dick Stanfel - Senior finalist
Eddie DeBartolo - Contributor finalist