Stanley Morgan moves on to next round of Hall of Fame voting

Longtime New England Patriots wide receiver Stanley Morgan is often talked about as one of the team's biggest snubs from the Pro Football Hall of Fame. On Thursday, the Hall moved one step closer to changing that. Morgan was announced as one of 34 players who made the cut to the next round of voting by the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Senior Committee.

The Senior Committee votes on a pool of players who retired prior to the 2000 season. Their goal is to give deserving players a chance who didn't get in during their time on the main ballot.

Morgan, who last played in 1990, certainly fits the bill. Drafted by the Patriots in the first round in 1977, he 14 NFL seasons (13 in New England) and caught 557 passes for 10,716 yards and 72 touchdowns. All three of those numbers rank top six overall during his time in the league.

Where Morgan really shined was as a deep ball threat. He averaged 19.2 yards per catch in his career, which is an NFL record for players with at least 500 catches. The next three closest players are all already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

This round of voting saw Morgan move on as one of 34 players after the list was cut down from 52. Other notable names making this cut include running back Roger Craig, defensive lineman Jim Marshall, linebacker Carl Banks, and special teamer Steve Tasker.

The next round of voting will narrow it down to nine semifinalists. From there, one individual will be selected to appear on the final ballot along with finalists from the Modern-Era, Coaches, and Contributor Committees. Then that group as a whole is voted on to make up the Class of 2026, which will be annoucned the week leading up to the Super Bowl.

After this round of voting, the Patriots have at least one individual representing them in all four groups. That includes nine modern-era players, plus head coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft.