What will it take for Harrison Smith to make the Hall of Fame?

Prayer method

This is the most unlikely of the methods for Harrison Smith to reach the Hall of Fame.

That is — Smith would play out his career in Minnesota or elsewhere. The curve that most players follow with performance regression and injury also applies to Smith in this scenario. He remains decent but clearly a shell of his former self. And then he calls it quits at age 34 or 35.

Unfortunately, if you believe in numbers and historical precedent, this is the most likely outcome for his career. This script would cast Smith in a light, unlike Adrian Peterson where Smith is, in fact, not bionic and does not play well past his prime. He, to put it bluntly, just diminishes. Thankfully, Vikings faithful are left with memories of his prime performance and have the talking points in-hand to defend him eternally. Each year the Hall of Fame chatter would commence, and Vikings fans could only blurt Smith’s name in hopes the Canton judges would listen.

Because this method is unlikely to get Smith to the Hall of Fame, a lot of thoughts and prayers would be required.