Spring time is here and the draft is just around the corner and the players will soon be returning to Foxborough to get started in the offseason program. But there's another item on the to-do list at Gillette Stadium before all of that takes place.
The Patriots Hall of Fame committee will convene on Thursday, and the latest group of nominees will be announced soon thereafter. In addition to the normal three nominees, the senior committee is slated to meet prior to the normal meeting and it's possible one (Leon Gray?) could be selected for the Hall as well.
This year figures to be rather cut and dried as both Richard Seymour and Mike Vrabel have been finalists in the past. Seymour in particular seems like the strongest candidate after the four-time All-Pro defensive tackle was among the 15 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, last winter.
Seymour has been nominated as a finalist the last two years while Vrabel has been among the final three for three straight years. The final nominee could come down to a pair of candidates as Rodney Harrison and Bill Parcells will likely be discussed. Harrison has yet to make it into the final three while Parcells has made the cut on three previous occasions (2011, 2012 and 2014).
Other players who could receive consideration on Thursday include Lawyer Milloy, Russ Francis and Chuck Fairbanks.
My feeling entering the meeting is the finalists will be among Seymour, Vrabel, Harrison and Parcells, with the three players likely serving as the favorites. In terms of a single front-runner for this year, I have to go with Seymour.
