Versatile running back Roger Craig, former MVP Ken Anderson and special teams standout Steve Tasker are among the 52 players who advanced to the next stage for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 in the seniors category.
The seniors screening committee reduced the list from 162 original nominees of players who last could have appeared in a professional football game in the 2000 season.
A blue-ribbon committee will cut down the list in three more stages until there are three finalists who will advance to voting conducted before the Super Bowl in February.
The nominees include three players who were finalists the past two years but didn’t get in, with linebacker Maxie Baughan and offensive lineman Jim Tyrer looking to be finalists for the second straight year and wide receiver Art Powell looking to get back to this stage after reaching it in 2024.
Anderson was a four-time Pro Bowler for Cincinnati and won the MVP award in 1981 when he helped the Bengals reach their first Super Bowl before losing to the San Francisco 49ers. When Anderson retired after the 1986 season, he ranked sixth all time with 32,838 passing yards and 13th with 197 touchdown passes.
Craig was a key part of the 49ers’ dynasty in the 1980s with his ability as a physical runner and as a receiver out of the backfield. Craig was the first player to have 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in the same season in 1985, and he led the NFL with 2,036 yards from scrimmage in 1988 when he helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl.
He was also part of the title-winning teams in San Francisco in the 1984 and 1989 seasons. His 410 yards from scrimmage in those Super Bowl wins are the third-most ever behind only Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Franco Harris.
Tasker was widely considered one of the best special teams players ever, excelling on coverage of punts and kicks with seven blocked kicks and catching nine touchdown passes as a receiver on offense. Tasker helped the Buffalo Bills win four straight AFC title games before losing in the Super Bowl and made seven Pro Bowls in his 13-year career.
