NFL expert's pick for Seahawks future Hall of Famer is wildly off-base

There is a problem with Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports' article on the most likely future Hall of Famer for each team and it is an issue he might have accidentally caused himself. And let's get this out of the way: DeArdo's pick for the Seattle Seahawks is DK Metcalf. Metcalf might eventually be worthy of being in Canton one day, but he isn't Seattle's most likely Hall of Famer currently.

The issue that DeArdo caused himself is that for the New York Jets, he chose quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Is Rodgers a first-ballot Hall of Famer? Absolutely. But even if he succeeds in New York this year and next, he will be remembered by most everyone as playing for the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers has so far only played one game for the Jets.

So, yes, Rodgers is a Jet and is a Hall of Famer, but saying he is the Jets most likely future inductee in Canton is a bit like saying Jerry Rice is in the Hall of Fame and will be remembered for his days as a Seattle Seahawk. That is, of course, ridiculous.

DK Metcalf is not the Seattle Seahawks' most likely future Hall of Famer currently

We have to go by what DeArdo created, however, and this is why Seattle's most likely Hall of Famer isn't Metcalf but a player who has only played half a season for the Seahawks. That would be Leonard Williams. Even before the defensive lineman was traded to Seattle, he was on a trek to Canton.

According to Pro Football Reference's Hall of Fame Monitor, the average defensive tackle in the Hall has a monitor score of 102. This includes times the player made the Pro Bowl, was named to an All-Pro team, championships won (which would seem unfair to players such as Cortez Kennedy), and other statistical data. Williams currently has a score of 27.5 but he still should have a number of years left to play at a high level. Williams is only 30 years old.

In comparison, Joe Klecko was inducted in 2023 and his monitor was just 46.58. That number Williams could easily reach.

The defensive lineman also could have some of his best seasons under new head coach Mike Macdonald because Macdonald finds ways to put his best players in their best situations to succeed. Williams might get close to 10 sacks this season and he could be named All-Pro.

Metcalf still needs a number of highly productive years in order to be mentioned as a Hall of Famer, especially as offenses have changed so much over the last 20 years, and receiving numbers are much higher than in previous eras. Metcalf isn't only trying to beat his former numbers but he has a lot of current competition from other receivers as well.

The hope, of course, is that Williams and Metcalf will both be Hall of Famers one day. That would mean good things happened while they were with the Seattle Seahawks. That's all that really matters.

More Seattle Seahawks analysis: