At least the oddsmakers respect Devin Hester’s Hall of Fame chances

With the Hall of Fame induction ceremony recently concluded, several outlets have been wondering who will be the next group of NFL legends to make it to Canton. The Bleacher Report Tweeted out a list of first year eligible players for the Class of 2022, and of the nine players listed, not one was the Chicago Bears Devin Hester, the greatest return man in the history of the NFL.

Sports Illustrated also fired off a Tweet wondering if there would be any first ballot Hall of Famers coming up, and their list also failed to show the proper respect to Hester.

I get that there’s a bias against the third phase, and it’s rare for special teamers to even get considered, but Hester was a game changer. His ability to flip the field, even when he didn’t actually field a punt or kick was second to none. Some teams would rather squib it or boot it out of bounds than to risk the ridiculous Hester burning them with an electrifying return.

For my money Hester is a lock for the Hall, and according to BetOnline.ag his chances at going into Canton on the first ballot are damn good.

Here are their odds for induction next year.

• DeMarcus Ware: 2/3
• Torry Holt: 10/11
• Devin Hester: 1/1
• Tony Boselli: 6/5
• Richard Seymour: 7/4
• Reggie Wayne: 5/2
• Robert Mathis: 5/2
• Zach Thomas: 11/4
• Jared Allen: 3/1
• LeRoy Butler: 3/1
• Andre Johnson: 7/2
• Ronde Barber: 6/1
• Steve Smith: 9/1
• Asante Samuel: 12/1
• Anquan Boldin: 16/1
• Vince Wilfork: 16/1
• Darren Woodson: 25/1
• Steve Tasker: 25/1

I think even money for Hester is a good bet, because as we get closer to the deadline I feel the buzz will grow from the players he played against to get him in.

Which of these guys do you think have a shot?