It's said to be unfair to an NFL rookie to slap on him a comparison to an NFL Hall of Famer. And that thought is sensible. But as long the comparison before any player puts pads on for his first professional game is trait-based -- heck, all of them should be -- then they should be fair game.
With the seven-member 2024 Hall of Fame class that features Julius Peppers, Devin Hester, Randy Gradishar, Patrick Willis, Dwight Freeney, Andre Johnson, and Steve McMichael getting enshrined in Canton, Ohio this weekend, let's draw some parallels to 2024 rookies set to embark on their NFL careers this fall.
And with plenty of deference for the past, I carefully made these selections with an emphasis on not forcing any.
Dwight Freeney - Chop Robinson
I nearly went Jared Verse with this selection. Then the depths of my football memory sounded an alarm in my head. Any comparison to Freeney had to be an outside pass rusher with supreme burst and bend around the corner, and Robinson was the prospect with the most giddy-up wrapping the edge tightly in the 2024 class.
Now, Robinson (254 pounds) isn't quite as stocky and powerful at the point of attack as Freeney (266 pounds) was to start his NFL career. And, the classic collegiate production isn't comparable -- Robinson had 11.5 sacks at Penn State, Freeney had 34 at Syracuse. Explosiveness-wise? They're nearly identical. From a quantifiable angle, both Robinson and Freeney ran 4.48 entering the league, and Robinson's 10-foot-8 broad jump ranked in the 95th percentile at the edge rusher position.
Robinson's inherent suddenness allows him to get off the snap differently. That acceleration capability coupled with ankle and hip flexibility and balance together give him elite-level bend that's Freeney-esque.
The Colts legend possessed power, bend, and an advanced arsenal of pass-rushing moves -- and his patented spin was deadly -- that sparked seven seasons of 10-plus sacks and sustained his standing as a viable rusher for a whopping 16 seasons. We, of course, don't know if Robinson will cultivate the collection of methods by which to beat blockers like Freeney did.
But that happens, he'll have a multitude of ways to defeat blockers on the edge, just like Freeney did for his Hall of Fame career.
Andre Johnson - Marvin Harrison Jr.
While the same height, Johnson (230 pounds) entered the NFL two decades before Harrison Jr. (209 pounds) as a more physical specimen than Harrison Jr., which should serve as a reminder as to how much of an athletic freak Johnson was at Miami.
Harrison Jr. must've been a more intimidating deep threat, right? Maybe. But Johnson averaged 18.4 and 21.0 yards per snag in his final two seasons with the Hurricanes before, like going in the Top 5 like Harrison Jr.
The NFL is actually getting skinnier and sleeker at the receiver position, which could speak to Harrison "only" weighing 210 pounds during the pre-draft process. Johnson blended sheer power, route-running savviness, physicality through contact, and tremendous ball skills to seven 1,000-plus yard campaigns across 14 professional seasons that featured mostly mediocre-at-best quarterback play.
Mostly living on the perimeter with the out-of-bounds line acting as an extra defender the length of the field, Johnson led the NFL in receptions twice, receiving yards twice, and receiving yards per game on three separate occasions. Harrison Jr. emanates comparable vibes. He's sizable, runs routes like a 10-year veteran, and catches ev-er-y-thing. He only was credited with nine drops across 248 targets for the Buckeyes.
As Harrison Jr. matures in the NFL, he'll likely add more power to his frame, which should help him scrap defenders off him after the catch. While Johnson feels like the prototypical "possession" receiver from the early-to-mid 2000s, he did average 14.5 yards per grab or more in four seasons in the NFL, if not properly checked, the splash play over the top was absolutely in his arsenals. And that's precisely how Harrison Jr. feels too.
Patrick Willis - Payton Wilson
Different draft pedigrees here -- Willis was the ultra-hyped second-level defender in the 2007 class and was selected 11th overall by the 49ers. Wilson, while adored in draft-analyst circles, wasn't picked until the third round.
While we all remember Willis for his classic, almost throwback linebacker physique and overall atheistic, it's easy to forgot at 6-1 and 242 pounds, he ran 4.51 with a 39-inch vertical (both above the 94th percentile at linebacker) -- a large part of Willis' instant success and tremendous NFL career was his supreme explosiveness and pure speed.
And all those athletic attributes exquisitely describe Wilson today. Sure, he's built slightly differently than Willis -- nearly 6-4 and 233 pounds -- but he ran 4.43 with 34.5-inch vertical and 9-11 broad, the latter of which ranks in the 63rd percentile at the linebacker position. Willis was also about as instinctive as humans get, reading and reacting to play designs, and if there's any hesitation to Wilson's game, it was imperceptible on film at NC State.
At Ole Miss, Willis had 128 and 137 tackles respectively in his final two seasons. Wilson had 138 tackles in his final season with the Wolfpack in 2023. Willis was mostly known for his impeccable run-stopping skills as a prospect yet smoothly transitioned to the coverage side of playing linebacker in the NFL. He finished his career with 53 pass breakups and eight interceptions in the regular season. Because of how the game as evolved since Willis' time in college and the league, Wilson is more advanced than Willis was sinking in zone and running with tight ends down the seam. Across four seasons at NC State, Wilson had 13 pass breakups and seven interceptions.
In Pittsburgh, behind one of the NFL's deepest and most ferocious defenses, Wilson is primed for an immediate and sustained Willis-like impact at linebacker, and no club has a more revered history at that position than the Steelers.
