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Andy from Des Moines, Iowa asks whether Pro Football Hall of Famers were disproportionately early draft choices.

Mike Sando: Yes, that is definitely the case. The Hall of Fame lists them by round. I also track this information. By my count, 143 of 188 drafted Hall of Famers were chosen in the first three rounds. That is 76.1 percent. That includes 94 first-round selections, 29 second-rounders and 20 third-rounders.

No players drafted after 1995 have been enshrined to this point.

Curtis Martin, named as part of the 2012 class, was a third-round choice in 1995. The previous six drafts have produced eight Hall of Famers, and all eight were first-round choices: Marshall Faulk, Willie Roaf, Cortez Kennedy, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders.

Later-round picks fared better long ago, when the draft had many more rounds. The NFL went from 17 to 12 rounds in 1977, then to eight in 1993 and seven the following year.

The chart below shows round-by-round distribution for drafted Hall of Famers since the 1983 class produced six Hall of Famers in the first round, the most for any first round.

Players drafted in first rounds tend to have more talent. They also tend to get every opportunity to succeed. The combination of those factors explains why more of them have found their way to Canton, in my view.

Skip Bayless and Dan Graziano took up the case for Charles Haley as a Pro Football Hall of Famer on ESPN's First Take.

Bayless thought Haley should have qualified on the first ballot as a key championship variable for the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Bayless and Graziano also touched upon to what degree Haley's sometimes disagreeable and disruptive behavior affected his candidacy. Those are relevant factors, but this discussion is incomplete without acknowledging what role the process plays in enshrinement.

To say that Haley or another player should have earned enshrinement in a given year usually suggests another player wasn't as deserving. The Hall accepts no more than seven candidates per year, including a maximum of two seniors candidates, meaning even deserving candidates must be more deserving than those actually enshrined to raise a serious beef.

Haley was first eligible in 2005. Steve Young and Dan Marino were the only modern-era candidates elected that year. Michael Irvin and Harry Carson were also finalists that year, but neither received the 80 percent approval rating required for enshrinement. Both became Hall of Famers later. Was Haley obviously more deserving than those four?

Troy Aikman, Warren Moon, Reggie White and Carson comprised the 2006 modern-era class. Irvin, Bruce Matthews, Thurman Thomas and Roger Wehrli comprised the 2007 modern-era class. Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Art Monk and Gary Zimmerman made it in 2008. Randall McDaniel, Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Rod Woodson and Ralph Wilson made it in 2009. The 2010 class featured Rickey Jackson, John Randle, Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith.

The current class includes Richard Dent, Marshall Faulk, Deion Sanders, Shannon Sharpe and Ed Sabol.

We could argue that he was more deserving than a candidate here or there, but only a very few elite candidates -- Rice, White, Emmitt Smith, Bruce Smith, etc. -- have credentials strong enough to transcend any Hall class.

Tim Brown, Roger Craig, Dermontti Dawson, Andre Reed, Cris Carter, Cortez Kennedy, Bob Kuechenberg, Randy Gradishar, L.C. Greenwood and several of the above-mentioned Hall of Famers have also been finalists since Haley became eligible.

Was Haley obvious more deserving than each of them? It's a debate worth having, but also one that goes beyond whether Haley should get in at all.

Wrapping up what reports suggest will be the final locked out weekend in the NFL this summer:

• Current NFC West franchises can claim ties to seven of the 16 players enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame this weekend. The seven: Pat Tillman and Jerry Stovall from the Arizona Cardinals; Charles Haley, Randy Cross and Alfred Williams from the San Francisco 49ers; and Dexter Coakley and Mark Herrmann from the St. Louis Rams. Stovall was a three-time Pro Bowl choice for the Cardinals when the team was in St. Louis. Herrmann was a backup quarterback when the Rams were in Los Angeles.
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Kyle Terada/US PresswireThe 49ers' Frank Gore is entering the final year of his contract.
• Frank Gore's injured hip is in "perfect" condition, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus. Gore is entering the final year of his contract with the 49ers after missing the final five games last season. His 4.2-yard average was strong, but also tied for the lowest of his career. Gore set a career high with a 9.8-yard average as a receiver. Will the 49ers siphon off carries for rookie Kendall Hunter, a fourth-round choice?
• Rams running back Steven Jackson has been posting updates to his Twitter account detailing his workout regimen. One of his fans won an opportunity to work out with Jackson after submitting an entertaining video as part of a contest. The video shows Jonathan Keenum sporting fake dreads while supposedly cranking out one million reps on a leg press (actually a man seated in a rocking chair).
• The expected elimination of two-a-day practices during training camp as part of a proposed labor agreement will benefit players' bodies. It will also diminish the camp experience for those traveling long distances to watch practices. In the past, it was possible to catch five or six practices over a few days. I see less reason for teams to spend weeks away from their facilities if training camps aren't going to differ much from regular work weeks. That is only an initial impression. Teams will adapt to whatever new rules take effect. They could find other ways to maximize the time.
• Cris Collinsworth posted thoughts on officiating after meeting with officials during their meetings in Dallas. Consider this nugget on how teams might adapt to the rule prohibiting running starts longer than five yards before kickoffs: "Expect a lot of crossing to build momentum just before the ball is kicked. The feeling is that there will be a lot of high directional kicks as teams try to pin the receiving team inside the 20."
• Former Seahawks and 49ers quarterback Trent Dilfer has put in some time coaching lately. Check out the video.
• Retired Seattle Seahawks tackle Walter Jones pointed to the late Derrick Thomas as the toughest opponent he faced. Seattle and Kansas City were in the AFC West together for Jones' first five seasons. Jones singled out Thomas when answering fans' questions over the weekend. Jones and Thomas were named to a combined 18 Pro Bowls (nine apiece).

Enjoy the rest of your weekend. The next week appears more promising than any in the NFL since the lockout began in March.

One more note: Rams receiver Donnie Avery says he's running 40-yard times in the 4.2s and 4.3s. He also says he's able to change directions well. Sounds like Avery will be full strength when training camp opens. He's coming off season-ending knee surgery.

MIAMI -- Hall of Fame voters will consider nine 2010 finalists with ties to current NFC West teams.

I'll be presenting the case for Cortez Kennedy during the proceedings Saturday as the geographic representative for the Seattle market.

Two things about Kennedy have jumped out during my research:

• Kennedy was a great every-down player. Kennedy played at least 90 percent of the defensive snaps from 1991 to 1996, including 97.22 percent in 1994. He was a force against run and pass alike, not just a situational player or one-dimensional player.
• Kennedy and Hall of Famer Randy White are the only defensive tackles in NFL history with at least 150 starts, 50 sacks and eight Pro Bowls.

I'd like to use this forum to solicit your thoughts on Kennedy and the eight other finalists with ties to current NFC West teams. I'll single out a note or two on each player here to help get the conversation going (while fully recognizing that some of these players enjoyed most of their success for teams outside the division):

• Jerry Rice, 49ers WR. Arguably the greatest player in NFL history.
• Roger Craig, 49ers RB. One of three players in NFL history with 8,000 yards rushing, 4,900 yards receiving, 70 total touchdowns and four Pro Bowls. Marcus Allen and Marshall Faulk are the others.
• Richard Dent, 49ers DL. One of three players in NFL history with at least 135 sacks and 35 forced fumbles. Bruce Smith and Chris Doleman are the others.
• Charles Haley, 49ers OLB/DE. One of 10 players in NFL history with 100 sacks, 25 forced fumbles and five Pro Bowls.
• Rickey Jackson, 49ers linebacker. One of five players in NFL history with at least 125 sacks and 40 forced fumbles. Bruce Smith, Derrick Thomas, Doleman and Jason Taylor are the others.
• John Randle, Seahawks DT. One of five players in NFL history with185 starts, 135 sacks and seven Pro Bowls.
• Don Coryell, Cardinals coach. Helped change the way teams played offense in the passing game, which helped revolutionize how defenses responded.
• Emmitt Smith, Cardinals RB. All-time NFL rushing leader.
• Russ Grimm, Redskins guard (and current Cardinals assistant coach). Arguably the best player on the most famous offensive line in NFL history.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

TAMPA, Fla. -- The emotions sweeping through the Hall of Fame ballroom at the Tampa Convention Center have been overpowering for some.

The newly selected Bruce Smith struggled to compose himself as he reflects on his parents, including his late father and what this day would mean to him. Emotions have overcome some of his supporters and Bills owner Ralph Wilson's supporters in the room, including some in the row of chairs directly behind me.

Hearing Bob Hayes' sister read a letter of thanks left behind by her newly enshrined brother raised the emotional level further. And to see Derrick Thomas' mother beam while Chiefs owner Clark Hunt read a well-conceived tribute to the late linebacker -- it was almost too much.

The emotions must also be strong for those Hall of Fame candidates who did not make the cut this time, including Cortez Kennedy, the only 2009 finalist to spend most of his career with a current NFC West team. Cardinals assistant coach Russ Grimm, the former Redskins guard, made the final 10 this time, but not the final five.

The process for selection excludes worthy candidates every year. I compare the Pro Football Hall of Fame to an airport with only so many runways. Some planes need to circle longer than others before taking their turn to land. But as Hayes' sister said, the waiting shouldn't diminish the moment when a candidate finally breaks through.

Eric Allen and Qadry Ismail analyze the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2009.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

	Andy Lyons/ALLSPORT
	Ricky Watters rushed for 10,643 yards and caught 467 passes.

Former 49ers and Seahawks running back Ricky Watters made NFL Network's list of the 10 best players not enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The list includes only players who have been retired long enough to become eligible. Roger Craig didn't make the cut. Would you rank him ahead of Watters among all-time backs?

Watters was a terrific every-down player. He played and practiced with emotion and energy. He was exceptionally durable, at one point starting 116 consecutive games -- the longest streak for any running back who was active at the time (LaDainian Tomlinson leads current running backs with 48 consecutive regular-season starts).

Watters rushed for 10,643 yards and caught 467 passes. He ranks 14th in NFL history for yards from scrimmage. He respected the players who came before him and earned the respect of his peers. In 2000, his Seattle teammates named Watters the Steve Largent Award winner, presented to the Seattle player who best illustrates the spirit, dedication and integrity of the team.

NFL Network's list also includes Ken Anderson, Cris Carter, Bob Hayes, Alex Karras, Jerry Kramer, Jim Marshall, Ken Stabler, Steve Tasker and Derrick Thomas. Carter will almost surely enter the Hall of Fame in the near future. Hayes' supporters point to how he forced defenses to change their approach entirely to account for his speed.

I can think of a few Hall-eligible players from NFC West teams -- Craig among them -- who deserve strong consideration for enshrinement:

Seahawks: Cortez Kennedy was defensive player of the year on a 2-14 team that featured one of the worst offenses in NFL history. He was an eight-time Pro Bowl player. At his best, Kennedy could not be blocked.

Rams: Henry Ellard averaged nearly 17 yards per reception on 814 catches. He averaged 19.5 yards per catch while putting up more than 1,000 yards with Washington at age 35.

49ers: Craig topped 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. He caught more than 566 passes and topped 8,000 yards rushing. The numbers only begin to explain how he played. The high-kneed running style helped him bull over defenders.

Cardinals: Help me out here. Larry Centers caught all those passes out of the backfield. Roy Green? There has to be someone I'm missing. Perhaps on defense.