The Next Hall of Fame Inductee For All 32 NFL Teams
By Erik Lambert
Los Angeles Chargers: Antonio Gates
Undrafted free agent to the Hall of Fame. That’s the sort of bang-for-buck NFL teams live for. The Los Angeles Chargers scooped up Antonio Gates in 2003. Up until that point he hadn’t played football for a long time, instead making a name for himself on the basketball court. He realized though that his NBA future was limited, so he decided to give football a proper go. Nobody on the Chargers front office or coaching staff could’ve predicted what he would become.
That of course being one of the best tight ends of the 2000s. The guy didn’t run many routes but the ones he did were often utter perfection. He approached the position like a basketball player, often boxing defenders out to make the tough catches. Before long Drew Brees and then Philip Rivers figured out the guy could play. Eight Pro Bowls and 11,000 yards later it could be argued he has surprised all-time Chargers great Kellen Winslow for best tight end in team history.