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Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor makes the final cut for Pro Football Hall of Fame voting
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- Jacksonville Jaguars RB Fred Taylor makes the final cut for Pro Football Hall of Fame voting
Fred Taylor has a second shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The Jacksonville Jaguars ' all-time leading rusher made the final cut of 15 players in the Modern Era category, released on Saturday by the Hall of Fame. It's Taylor's second year in a row to reach this step after gaining the semifinals (25 players) for the sixth time last month.
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Taylor ranks 17th all-time in NFL rushing yards with 11,695. Every back ahead of Taylor on the all-time list except Frank Gore , who won't be eligible until 2026, is already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars (28) outruns Brock Marion of the Miami Dolphins on his iconic 90-yard touchdown during a 62-7 victory over the Dolphins in an AFC playoff game in 2000.
The 15 finalists will be voted on by the Hall of Fame's Selection Committee before Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans . The class will be unveiled on Feb. 6 during the NFL Honors show on FOX and the NFL Network at 9 p.m.
How can Fred Taylor get into the Hall of Fame?
The committee can elect up to five players but each must receive at least 80 percent of the vote.
The Hall's independent Selection Committee picked the final 15 players, from an original list of 167. There were cuts to 50 and 25.
Taylor was drafted in the first round by the Jaguars in 1998. He gained 11,271 yards rushing, 2,361 receiving, averaged 4.6 per rush and scored a combination of 70 touchdowns running and receiving. He finished his career with two seasons at New England .
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Taylor recorded the first of his seven 1,000-yard seasons with 1,223 yards as a rookie, with 14 touchdowns. Two years later he had a career high of 1,399 yards.
Who else is on the final Hall of Fame list?
The other nominees, along with Taylor:
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CB Eric Allen : Philadelphia 1988-1994; New Orleans 1995-97; Oakland 1998-2001.
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DE Jared Allen : Kansas City 2004-07; Minnesota 2008-2013; Chicago 2014-15; Carolina 2015.
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OT Willie Anderson: Cincinnati 1996-2007; Baltimore 2008.
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OG Jahri Evans : New Orleans 2006-2016; Green Bay 2017.
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TE Antonio Gates : San Diego 2003-2018.
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WR Torry Holt: St. Louis 1999-2008; Jacksonville 2009.
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LB Luke Kuechly : Carolina 2012-19.
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QB Eli Manning : New York Giants 2004-2019.
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WR Steve Smith Sr.: Carolina 2001-2013; Baltimore 2014-16.
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LB Terrell Suggs : Baltimore 2003-2018; Arizona , Kansas City 2019.
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K Adam Vinatieri : New England 1996-2005; Indianapolis 2006-2019.
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WR Reggie Wayne : Indianapolis 2001-2014.
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S Darren Woodson: Dallas 1992-2003.
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OG/OT Marshal Yanda : Baltimore 2007-2019.
Some of the players have been waiting in line longer than Taylor. This is the sixth time Holt and Wayne have made the final 15, the fifth time for Jared Allen and the fourth time for Anderson.
Manning, who led the New York Giants to two Super Bowl victories under former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin, Smith, Suggs, Vinatieri and Yanda made the final 15 for the first time.
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Coughlin was beaten out by Mike Holmgren for consideration in the coach category on Dec. 3. It was Coughlin's second year of eligibility. He entered the Pride of the Jaguars on Oct. 6.
The incoming Hall of Fame players will be inducted in August in Canton, Ohio.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jacksonville Jaguars' Fred Taylor makes final Pro Football Hall of Fame cut
