Pats Pulpit
he Pro Football Hall of Fame has reduced its list of candidates still in the race for induction in 2026. In a first round of cuts, the original ballot of 128 former players was reduced to 52. The New England Patriots are well-represented on that list.
In total, nine of the 52 men signed a deal with the organization at one point. Seven of those nine actually saw game action as Patriots.
RB Fred Taylor, WR Torry Holt*, WR Reggie Wayne*, G Logan Mankins
A member of the NFL’s Team of the 2010s as well as several commemorative Patriots teams, Logan Mankins was a mainstay at left guard during his nine seasons with the club between 2005 and 2013. Starting all 130 games he appeared in, plus 17 playoff contests along the way, he proved himself one of the best interior offensive linemen of his era. He was voted to six All-Pro teams and seven Pro Bowls during a career that also featured a two-year stint in Tampa toward the end.
Fred Taylor, Torry Holt and Reggie Wayne, meanwhile, have one thing in common: they all joined New England toward the tail end of their legendary careers.
Among them, Taylor is the only one to actually make it out of training camp and appear in a game as a Patriot. He saw action in 13 contests and a playoff game between 2009 and 2010, and finished his career with the club with a combined 108 carries for 425 yards and four touchdowns — a fraction of his total career rushing production of 12,308 rushing yards and 69 TDs on 2,663 carries.
DT Vince Wilfork, LB James Harrison, CB Asante Samuel, S Rodney Harrison
Of the four defensive candidates, two are already members of the Patriots Hall of Fame: Rodney Harrison and Vince Wilfork, who were both cornerstones of the team’s dynasty in the 2000s and 2010s.
Harrison saw action in 72 regular season and playoff games between 2003 and 2008, and along the way registered 28 interceptions as well as 11 sacks. He won two Super Bowls with the Patriots and is a member of both their Hall of Fame and the Chargers’ as well as a member of both team’s 50th anniversary squads.
Wilfork played 179 total games during his 11 years in New England. The big-bodied defensive tackle registered 19 sacks, 13 fumble recoveries, three interceptions on his way to helping the team win a pair of championships. A five-time All-Pro and Pro Bowler, he too was voted to multiple all-Patriots teams.
Asante Samuel spent the first five of his 11 seasons with in New England, playing in 89 games for the team and winning two Super Bowls. He led the NFL in interceptions twice and is the league’s all-time leader in career playoff pick-sixes with four, three of those as a member of the Patriots.
James Harrison, meanwhile, played the final four games of his career for the team...
