Two Carolina Panthers legends are amongst the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
As announced on Saturday morning, former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. and former linebacker Luke Kuechly have made it through into the last round of consideration for this year’s class. This is Smith’s fourth year of eligibility and Kuechly’s first.
Smith has now achieved the finalist status for the first time over those four years. Each of his previous three cracks at football immortalization ended in semifinalist stage.
He still stands as the Panthers’ all-time leading receiver (12,197 yards) and the NFL’s eighth all-time leading receiver (14,731). Smith, over his 16-year career, racked up two First-team All-Pro nods, five Pro Bowl selections and a Comeback Player of the Year award.
Kuechly, who has a real chance to be voted into Canton as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, accumulated a Defensive Rookie of the Year award, a Defensive Player of the Year award, five First-team All-Pro spots and seven Pro Bowl spots in his eight pro campaigns.
