Is Isaac Bruce a Hall of Famer?

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – There was a reason an absent Isaac Bruce remained on the San Francisco 49ers roster throughout the offseason -- Monday's handshake trade to the St. Louis Rams returns one of the NFL's most prolific possession receivers to the franchise and city where he always felt most comfortable.

Now comes the obvious question: Is Bruce, 37, who is scheduled to retire at Rams Park in St. Louis on Wednesday ranking second in NFL history with 15,208 receiving yards, fifth in receptions (1,024) and ninth in receiving touchdowns (91), a slam dunk for the Pro Football Hall of Fame?

As one of the 44 selectors who spend as many as nine hours on Super Bowl eve debating the merits of extremely worthy candidates, I believe Bruce has a fairly good chance of making the finalist ballot in his first year of eligibility. Then again, he joins a few other longtime NFC West stars who will likely make the first-time semifinalist or finalist list: His former Rams teammates, quarterback Kurt Warner, and five-time All Pro tackle Orlando Pace.

The competition, as always, will be fierce. Even for a player such as Bruce who was so instrumental in winning a Super Bowl title for his team.

As the San Francisco representative, my presentation speech for soon-to-be-inducted Hall of Famer Jerry Rice was just this succinct: "Everyone, Jerry Rice."

And while Bruce's devoted fans will argue that he's a first-ballot shoe-in, I can attest that discussions and debates concerning wide receivers in the Hall of Fame room often are the lengthiest, most compelling and, many times, the most contentious.

Four receivers -- Rice, Tim Brown, Cris Carter and Andre Reed -- made our loaded finalist list for 2010. With Rice finally eligible, the bar suddenly was raised to the stratosphere for all receivers who remain in Hall of Fame contention, or who follow him.

Discussion was intense for all four wideouts, major NFL stars who ran up big numbers in a wide open passing era (the 1990s to the present) where rules changes made it more difficult for defenders to cover receivers. This point was raised several times: Did these relaxed receiving rules somehow "cheapen" the massive receiving totals posted by these finalists, in comparison to their predecessors?

In the end, only Reed and Rice made our final 10, and only Rice, who won three Super Bowls and owns virtually every significant receiving mark, survived.

Ultimately, the selectors are permitted to choose only five modern-day candidates each year. Many skill position players in particular wait much longer than others because the competition is so steep: Lynn Swann was selected in his 14th-year as a finalist; Art Monk finally got his bust in Canton after eight years as a finalist.

The three receivers who did not join Rice in the Class of 2010 – Brown, Carter and Reed -- almost surely belong with him in the Hall of Fame. Knowing that, Bruce may see his name as a finalist for several years before his turn finally comes. Like the great ones before him, he may simply have to wait.