After the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed significant changes to the selection process Friday, the question now turns to how things will play out in practice. The Class of 2027 will be the first group to be selected based on the new rules, which include reducing the selection committee from 50 members to 25, plus three non-voting participants, and eliminating the senior category for players who have been retired for at least 25 years.Classes will now consist of three to seven inductees. The pool that will be chosen from will include 13 players, one coach and one contributor, for a total of 15 finalists. Candidates who receive at least 20 of the 25 possible votes (80 percent) will be enshrined that year.With that in mind, let’s look at the group that will be in the mix for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027.PlayersFirst-year headlinersRB Adrian Peterson, TE Rob Gronkowski, QB Ben Roethlisberger, CB Richard ShermanEach of these players was one of the best at their position for a stretch of their prime. Peterson and Gronkowski, in particular, fall into an elevated category of being among the best at their position in NFL history.Peterson’s numbers speak volumes, but the context around them truly shows his dominance. All things considered, Peterson’s 2012 season is one of the greatest single seasons by a player in league history. He tore his ACL and MCL in Week 16 of the 2011 season, then returned to rush for 2,097 yards in 2012 and carry the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs. He won MVP that year, the only non-quarterback to win MVP since 2007. Peterson had a journeyman end to his career, but for the bulk of his time in the NFL, he was elite and one of the faces of the league as a running back.5 Amazing Facts for the 2026 Pro Football Hall of Fame ClassMike SandoGronkowski played nine years before his initial retirement at 29 years old, and he was dominant enough during that stretch to be considered for the Hall of Fame, despite injuries being a major factor. Overall, Gronkowski played 11 seasons and was a four-time first-team All-Pro and a four-time Super Bowl champion. At his peak, Gronkowski’s combination of size and speed made him a focal point of the offense, in the run and pass games alike.In an era in which Roethlisberger could have folded under the dominance of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning in the AFC, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback nevertheless established himself as another defining AFC quarterback of that era. From 2003 through 2011, Brady, Manning or Roethlisberger represented the AFC in the Super Bowl, with Roethlisberger making it three times and going 2-1 on the biggest stage. He didn’t always have the gaudiest numbers, but his big frame and physical style of play from the pocket made him a regular force to be reckoned with.Cornerbacks don’t have a terribly extended prime, and that will be the main point of discussion when it comes to Sherman’s qualification on the first ballot. There aren’t many defenses throughout league history that earn a nickname, but the Seattle Seahawks’ Legion of Boom was dominant, and Sherman was one of the main faces of that unit. For a stretch in his prime, it was between Sherman and Darrelle Revis as to who was the best cornerback in the game. Revis was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2023, his first year of eligibility.Last year’s finalistsOT Willie Anderson, WR Torry Holt, TE Jason Witten, LB/DE Terrell Suggs, OG Jahri Evans, RB Frank Gore, QB Eli Manning, WR Reggie Wayne, DT Kevin Williams, S Darren Woodson, OL Marshal YandaWhen the Hall of Fame selectors meet in person at the Super Bowl in February, they will be tasked with reducing the 15 finalists to seven, before each voter casts his vote for six individuals. By that formula, players from this category will receive votes, but how those votes get spread out will be highly subjective. Players such as Willie Anderson and Torry Holt have been knocking on the door for some time now. Some players, such as Eli Manning, warrant consideration for their signature postseason moments, even if they weren’t as consistent or frequent. Other players, such as Gore, are in consideration for the longevity and overall body of work, even if the peaks didn’t reach as high.Other playersS Rodney Harrison, DE Robert Mathis, WR Steve Smith Sr., RB Fred Taylor, RB Earl Thomas, DT Vince Wilfork, QB Cam Newton, WR Antonio Brown, OT Andrew WhitworthEliminating the senior candidates category could significantly hurt players such as Ken Anderson, one of last year’s three senior finalists. Rather than having a separate path to Canton, players who have been retired for at least 25 years now compete in the same pool as every other eligible player. Last year’s senior finalists were Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood and Anderson, with Craig the only one elected. Beginning this year, Greenwood, first-year-eligible players such as Newton, and everybody in between will compete for the same 13 finalist spots.CoachBill BelichickLast year, Belichick was the lone finalist in the coaching category, with Tom Coughlin, Mike Holmgren, Chuck Knox, Buddy Parker, Dan Reeves, Marty Schottenheimer, George Seifert and Mike Shanahan as semifinalists. As voting showed last year, you can never say never, but it would be a different kind of jarring if any other coach got voted in ahead of Belichick, especially after his omission led to so much structural change in the Hall of Fame selection process. The longtime New England Patriots legend projects to be a slam-dunk option in the category this year, but last year’s finalists, along with a handful of other names, will make for an interesting conversation in 2028 and beyond.ContributorsRobert Kraft, Bud Adams, Art Rooney Jr., Frank Kilroy, Jim TunneyThis category has undergone some tweaks to now also include playing and coaching to be taken into consideration, in addition to the standard definition of contributing to the game. For example, if somebody was a decent player but not Hall of Fame-worthy but went on to have a successful career as a general manager or a broadcaster, their playing career would also now be part of their qualifications as a contributor. Other individuals tied to the league, such as referees, also fall into this category.