Patriots great Rodney Harrison was among 15 finalists named on Wednesday for potential enshrinement in the NFL's Pro Football Hall of Fame as the candidate list was cut down from 25 semifinalists named in November. Fellow Patriot Vince Wilfork was among those semifinalists who did not make the cutdown.
Harrison was a 2019 inductee into the Patriots team Hall of Fame and has had no shortage of advocates to receive the customary yellow jacket that goes along with induction into Canton.
Harrison's numbers easily stack up and even surpass some safeties whose busts already reside in the Hall of Fame. A two-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion, Harrison had 34 interceptions in 186 NFL games from 1994 to 2008, and was also a member of the Patriots All-2000s team as well as the team's 50th anniversary team.
Former Patriots Director of Player Personnel Scott Pioli took to social media to state his case as to why Harrison is so deserving, as the safety played a critical role in two Super Bowl championships and the only 16-0 regular season in league history.
This is Harrison's first time making it as a finalist after three previous years as a semifinalist, a positive development as he continues to win over voters.
Richard Seymour was the Patriots most recent inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2022. Harrison would be a fitting addition and one that illustrated the dominance both along the line and on the back end of New England's "Homeland Defense" during the early years of the early-2000's dynasty.
A full list of Patriots enshrined in Canton are:
The Hall of Fame's 50-person Selection Committee will announce the Class of 2024 in advance of Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas. The class will be announced live on the "NFL Honors" telecast scheduled to air Feb. 8.
