Terrell Owens and Randy Moss: Who deserves Hall of Fame bid in 2018?

Earlier this month, the Pro Football Hall of Fame revealed its Class of 2017. One notable omission that took many by surprise: Terrell Owens. The five-time First-Team All-Pro missed the cut again in his second year of eligibility, thus his candidacy rolls over to 2018 -- a year when Randy Moss' name will appear on the ballot for the very first time. These were two of the most dominant receivers of their era, as evidenced by their (eerily similar) raw numbers:

Owens (15 seasons): 1,078 catches for 15,934 yards (14.8 ypc) and 153 touchdowns.

Moss (14 seasons): 982 catches for 15,292 yards (15.6 ypc) and 156 touchdowns.

So, who deserves to get the nod in the HOF Class of 2018: Owens, Moss or both?

Both players have the credentials to get into the Hall of Fame, but I would put Randy Moss in first because, at one point, he was clearly the best player in the NFL. I never saw Owens as that kind of player.

As to when they go in, that is hard to say. The committee has a tough job each year deciding who gets the nod. There are many great candidates. Art Monk had to wait until his eighth year of eligibility -- and that's a guy who, upon retirement, ranked second in career receptions (940) and had the record for most consecutive games with a catch (183). Monk was a leader on three Super Bowl championship teams. Neither Moss nor Owens owns a single ring. Both Randy Moss and Terrell Owens dominated their generation. When they played, people asked the question: Who was the best receiver? People were split between Moss and Owens. But no question, they were the two best receivers during their playing days. I feel like the Hall of Fame committee has been cheating T.O. He had temper tantrums on the field and in the locker room, but he didn't have serious issues off the field. I thought the Hall of Fame was based on what you did between the lines, anyway. If you look at his numbers or watch tape, he's an absolute beast. There's Jerry Rice, then T.O. I feel like the voters need to put their feelings toward him aside because what he did on the field was unbelievable, and he upgraded every team he was on.

I also think Randy Moss should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. It's amazing how he took the league by storm in his rookie season, scoring 17 receiving touchdowns. We all knew he was going to go deep, and he still beat double- and triple-teams. If you watch the tape from that Dallas game, you see Randy do things that most receivers can't do. He caught a deep ball. Then took a short pass to the house. While everyone is taking two steps, he's taking one gallop.

Honestly, if both of these guys dedicated themselves in the offseason, they would still be effective in the NFL to this day. I was surprised Terrell Owens didn't get in this year, to be honest. Both T.O. and Randy Moss have the numbers that say they are Hall of Famers. It should be that simple. They will get in at some point -- it's just a matter of when. I'd like to see both get in, but I'd pick Randy Moss if I only had to pick one. He has a catch named after him. When high school kids are playing and one jumps over the other and catches the ball, they still say, "You got Moss'd!" He was amazing and made play after play for any quarterback -- whether it was Jeff George or Daunte Culpepper or, yes, Tom Brady. Randy was a great teammate, from what I've heard, so that won't be a problem with his candidacy.

But if we're basing it on numbers, both guys should get in. Owens had equal numbers -- and better in some categories -- when compared to Moss. But also, I don't think there should be a limit on the number of players who get in each year. If there are 15 guys who should get in, they should all get in. If there's one the next year, there should be just one. If the Hall of Fame voters base their decisions off a player's production, role and impact on the game, Terrell Owens should've been in this year. I played against him for years, and he was the ultimate competitor. He made his teams better and was consistently one of the best receivers in the game.

But in all reality, I think they both should get in. They had two running backs get in this year, so why not have two receivers get in next year? But, there are some others -- Ray Lewis, Brian Urlacher, among others -- who are eligible, so somebody will probably get bumped. With all of T.O.'s social media posts following this year's announcement, the voters could possibly make him wait again. Randy Moss will be voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year. One hundred percent. He will probably have Terrell Owens to (partly) thank for his induction. The voters (and really, there needs to be some voter reform; mostly, I should be allowed to vote) made quite a statement when they left the deserving Owens out this year. I see the voters doubling down by voting in Moss and again leaving Owens out in the cold. (Clearly, both guys should get in. But there was such a backlash, they will vote for Moss to be all "See, we let in troubled players!")

But let me be perfectly clear on this: Moss was the greatest wide receiver I have ever seen. He could do it all. He had his issues, but who knows what could have happened had he been drafted to the NFL's most well-run organization like Jerry Rice was. If I were drafting these two guys, I'd take Moss before Owens, so I'll go with Moss. These guys are both among the top receivers of all time. But it's hard to get two receivers in at once, and because Moss is a little more talented -- and, frankly, possesses a less-explosive personal history -- I give the edge to Moss. Owens has enough baggage, considering all the issues he had with teammates and teams he played with, that I'd let Moss leapfrog him. Again, I'm a fan of both -- when Owens came out, I urged someone to pick him up in their fantasy draft, but he missed out on Owens' great rookie year because he wasn't allowed to draft him, since nobody knew who Owens was at the time. The bottom line is, I think both deserve to be in Canton, though I'd give it to Moss first.