5 former 49ers who should be Hall of Famers before Julian Edelman
By Peter Panacy
No. 2: 49ers Wide Receiver John Taylor
Two-Time Pro Bowler
Perhaps the closest comparison to Julian Edelman, as far as both individual and team accolades go, is San Francisco’s former No. 2 wide receiver to Jerry Rice, John Taylor.
Like Edelman’s placement on a Patriots dynasty team, Taylor enjoyed all of his success during the 49ers’ dynasty years, too, also winning three Super Bowls and coming up with the game-winning touchdown grab in Super Bowl XXIII over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Taylor played one fewer season and had only two 1,000-yard seasons whereas Edelman had three.
But as FanSided’s Matt Verderame pointed out, since there’s no argument for Taylor to be in the Hall of Fame, there shouldn’t be for Edelman either:
49ers' John Taylor won three Super Bowls, is on the HOF All-80s team, made two Pro Bowls, caught 43 TDs. Never sniffed the Hall.
— Matt Verderame (@MattVerderame) April 12, 2021
Julian Edelman isn't on an All-Decade team, no Pro Bowls, 36 TDs in a pass-happy era.
There's no argument for him as better than Taylor.
Taylor’s 5,598 receiving yards ranks way down the list of all-time numbers for the regular season, yes. But many view Edelman’s postseason pass-catching numbers as a bona fide reason why he should get into the Hall of Fame.
Meanwhile, Taylor had Rice as a complementary player. At the same time, though, Edelman also enjoyed playing alongside tight end Rob Gronkowski, too, for much of his own career.
So, if there’s a side-by-side comparison, this might be it. If Taylor isn’t getting the nod, Edelman shouldn’t either.