In his fourth year of eligibility, former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis has been named among the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023. This is his second consecutive year being named a finalist.
The 49ers made Willis the No. 11 overall draft pick in 2007, and he spent eight seasons with San Francisco before retiring after the 2014 season. He was named to seven Pro Bowls and is a five-time first-team All-Pro.
Willis finished his career with 950 tackles, 60 tackles for a loss, 41 quarterback hits, 20.5 sacks, eight interceptions, two scores, 53 passes defensed, and 16 forced fumbles. He racked up over 100 tackles during six of his eight seasons and led the league in tackles twice.
The following is a list of the 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
- Jared Allen, DE – 2004-2007 Kansas City Chiefs, 2008-2013 Minnesota Vikings, 2014-2015 Chicago Bears, 2015 Carolina Panthers
- Willie Anderson, OT -- 1996-2007 Cincinnati Bengals, 2008 Baltimore Ravens
- Ronde Barber, DB – 1997-2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Dwight Freeney, DE -- 2002-2012 Indianapolis Colts, 2013-14 San Diego Chargers, 2015 Arizona Cardinals, 2016 Atlanta Falcons, 2017 Detroit Lions, 2017 Seattle Seahawks
- Devin Hester, PR/KR/WR -- 2006-2013 Chicago Bears, 2014-2015 Atlanta Falcons, 2016 Baltimore Ravens, 2016 Seattle Seahawks
- Torry Holt, WR -- 1999-2008 St. Louis Rams, 2009 Jacksonville Jaguars
- Andre Johnson, WR -- 2003-2014 Houston Texans, 2015 Indianapolis Colts, 2016 Tennessee Titans
- Albert Lewis, CB -- 1983-1993 Kansas City Chiefs, 1994-1998 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders
- Darrelle Revis, CB -- 2007-2012/2015-16 New York Jets, 2013 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 2014 New England Patriots, 2017 Kansas City Chiefs
- Joe Thomas, LT -- 2007-2017 Cleveland Browns
- Zach Thomas, LB -- 1996-2007 Miami Dolphins, 2008 Dallas Cowboys
- DeMarcus Ware, LB -- 2005-2013 Dallas Cowboys, 2014-2016 Denver Broncos
- Reggie Wayne, WR -- 2001-2014 Indianapolis Colts
- Patrick Willis, LB -- 2007-2014 San Francisco 49ers
- Darren Woodson, S -- 1992-2003 Dallas Cowboys