Former Panthers Julius Peppers, Steve Smith among Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists

Two former Carolina Panthers could be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next year.

Julius Peppers and Steve Smith Sr. were among 25 modern-day semifinalists announced Tuesday by the Hall of Fame. A larger group of 173 nominees was announced in September.

The list of 25 semifinalists will be trimmed to 15 before the final voting process in January. Then, the 15 will be trimmed to 10 players and ultimately to five during a selection meeting. Each of the final five will need to receive 80 percent of the votes from a 50-person selection committee to get into the Hall.

Peppers, a three-time All-Pro, retired in 2019. He was inducted into the Panthers’ Hall of Honor last month. Peppers was drafted No. 2 overall by the Panthers coming out of the University of North Carolina in the 2002 NFL Draft. He played high school football at Southern Nash in Bailey, North Carolina, about a 40-minute drive east of Raleigh.

Peppers played 17 years in the NFL, with the Panthers, Bears and Packers. Peppers was named an All-Pro in 2004, 2006 and 2010 and ended his career with 159.5 sacks, the fourth-most in NFL history. In his career, Peppers sacked 77 different quarterbacks and had at least one sack against 30 of the NFL’s 32 teams.

Peppers made the Pro Bowl nine times and was named to two different NFL All-Decade teams.

Smith, another three-time All-Pro, led the league in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns in 2005 — a rare trifecta. He was drafted in the third round of the 2001 draft by the Panthers and played for the team from 2001-13. He played for the Ravens from 2014-16.

In 2005, Smith was named NFL Comeback player of the year, when he returned from a severe leg injury suffered in 2004. Smith is a five-time Pro Bowl pick who finished his career with 14,731 receiving yards, which is eighth in NFL history. Six players ranked ahead of Smith are already in the Hall of Fame. The seventh, former Cardinals’ star Larry Fitzgerald, is not yet eligible.

Smith — who recently appeared on The Observer’s Processing Blue podcast — is now an analyst for the NFL Network. Smith has been a semifinalist for the past three years.

The other semifinalists for the Hall of Fame announced Tuesday are: Eric Allen, Jared Allen, Willie Anderson, Tiki Barber, Anquan Boldin, Jahri Evans, London Fletcher, Dwight Freeney, Eddie George, James Harrison, Rodney Harrison, Devin Hester, Torry Holt, Andre Johnson, Torry Holt, Robert Mathis, Fred Taylor, Hines Ward, Ricky Watters, Reggie Wayne, Vince Wilfork, Patrick Willis and Darren Woodson.