Isaac Bruce lobbies for his own Hall of Fame candidacy

Isaac Bruce is eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and, predictably, he believes he should be donning a gold jacket next summer.

Bruce made a strong case for his entry into Canton on Wednesday and is one of the semifinalists from the 2018 class.

"I'm not sure if I'm like the other (Hall of Fame-eligible receivers this year). I don't know what the criteria is or if it's just based solely on numbers, or if other aspects of the game impact what you did as your body of work is concerned. But when you look from a numbers standpoint, when I retired, I was the second person ever to hit 15,000 yards receiving. If you remove (Jerry Rice), I (was) the No. 1 wide receiver in the history of the league as far as receiving is concerned," Bruce said to Lakisha Jackson of NFL.com

Bruce currently ranks fifth all time with 15,208 receiving yards, 13th all time with 1,024 receptions, and 12th all time with 91 receiving touchdowns. There is little historical precedent to keep someone out of the Hall with Bruce's credentials. And amid a loaded semifinalist class, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him take the stage in 2018.