Troy Polamalu, Reggie Wayne lead 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame finalists in first year of eligibility

Twenty inductees will join the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020. (Photo by Daniel Kucin Jr./Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Troy Polamalu is one step away from becoming the latest Pittsburgh Steeler to be immortalized in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Polamalu, one of the greatest safeties to play the game, is one of 15 modern-era finalists for the Hall, the league announced Thursday. Polamalu and Indianapolis Colts receiver Reggie Wayne are the only finalists in their first year of eligibility to make the cut from the initial list of 25 candidates.

The other HOF finalists are:

• Steve Atwater, safety – 1989-1998 Denver Broncos, 1999 New York Jets.

• Tony Boselli, offensive tackle – 1995-2001 Jacksonville Jaguars.

• Isaac Bruce, wide receiver – 1994-2007 Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams, 2008-09 San Francisco 49ers.

• LeRoy Butler, safety – 1990-2001 Green Bay Packers.

• Alan Faneca, offensive guard – 1998-2007 Pittsburgh Steelers, 2008-09 New York Jets.

• Torry Holt, wide receiver – 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars.

• Steve Hutchinson, offensive guard – 2001-05 Seattle Seahawks, 2006-2011 Minnesota Vikings.

• Edgerrin James, running back – 1999-2005 Indianapolis Colts, 2006-08 Arizona Cardinals, 2009 Seattle Seahawks.

• John Lynch, free safety – 1993-2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2004-07 Denver Broncos.

• Sam Mills, linebacker – 1986-1994 New Orleans Saints, 1995-97 Carolina Panthers.

• Richard Seymour, defensive end/defensive tackle – 2001-08 New England Patriots, 2009-2012 Oakland Raiders.

• Zach Thomas, inside linebacker – 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys.

• Bryant Young, defensive tackle – 1994-2007 San Francisco 49ers.

All 15 finalists will have their cases heard by a 48-person selection committee on Feb. 1, the day before Super Bowl LIV in Miami. The committee will narrow that list to five and those players will join the 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The five players inducted this year will join 15 other inductees in the 2020 class, which was expanded to 20. Those 15 additional inductees, who will be decided by a separate panel later this month, will be made up of 10 senior candidates (players who last played 25 years ago but slipped through the regular Hall of Fame process), three contributors (someone other than a player or a coach) and two coaches.

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