Roddy White among 14 first-year players nominated for Pro Football Hall of Fame

Roddy White is one of the true success stories in Falcons franchise history. Drafted in the first round in 2005, Roddy caught just 59 passes in his first two seasons and seemed to be on the cusp of becoming a first round bust.

Instead, over the course of the next nine seasons in Atlanta, he would go on to catch 749 passes for 9,957 yards and 60 touchdowns, finishing out his illustrious career as the Falcons leaders in just about every receiving category that exists. Along the way, he’d make the Pro Bowl four times, become a first-team All-Pro once, and become a legend in Atlanta for his genuine hatred of the Saints, outspoken nature, and unquestioned leadership qualities. He retired after 2015, in other words, as one of the greatest Falcons ever to have played, and he was inducted into the Ring of Honor last year.

All that work may not get him into Canton, but it has at least earned him a nomination for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2021.

Roddy’s on a list of deserving players and is a receiver, a position that is often overlooked for the Hall of Fame. He also has Julio Jones either exceeding his franchise records or just behind them more or less across the board, and Julio seems like much more of a slam dunk to make it to Canton someday than Roddy. But just seeing #84 nominated does my heart good, because there haven’t been all that many players or people as worthy as him on this franchise over the years.

Congratulations to Roddy White for the nomination, the latest in a long line of deserved honors.