I would rank Marshawn Lynch in the same bracket as guys like Terrell Davis. TD had four elite seasons in Denver which included two Super Bow championships. Marshawn had four elite seasons in Seattle, with one Super Bowl victory and one Super Bowl defeat (which arguably could have been a victory had they given him the ball!). I think these two guys are in a similar position that statistically they had a lot of success over a four year period, but in TD's case he didn't stay healthy enough to do much after these four seasons, and in Marshawn's case he didn't do anything particularly outstanding prior to 2011-2014 with Seattle. Don't get me wrong, Marshawn's first two seasons in Buffalo were decent for a first and second year player by rushing for over a thousand yards, but I don't think you can base a hall of fame argument on his early career. I think a similar argument could be made for MoJo, he had three seasons as an elite running back, with elite production, but the rest of his career was only decent. These three guys hall of fame credentials are based off three or four seasons worth of elite production and success (though in MoJo's case he doesn't have a Super Bowl ring).
Fred Taylor was a different animal to the three guys in the above paragraph. He had seven seasons with 1,000+ rushing yards, two seasons with 700+ rushing yards (though these would have been thousand yard plus seasons if he didn't miss six and five games respectively), and some lesser seasons right at the end, with one lost season in 2001 due to injury. But the pattern here is that in a thirteen year career he had seven 1,000+ rushing yard seasons and could have had two or three more if not for injuries. He was a great running back for us. He was explosive and entertained us no end. There were times in his career when he was an elite running back. But I am not sure he ever had that level of success which helps boost a hall of fame case. He was simply a very talented, explosive, and steady player over a sustained period of time - that is his hall of fame credential.
Ultimately I think all the guys mentioned in this post are on the fence for hall of fame, with MoJo's being the weakest of them all. I think what will make or break both of these guy's cases for the hall of fame comes down to whether you think a player deserves the hall of fame based on shorter success (ie four years of dominance with Super Bowl rings) or if that players needs to have been more successful and dominant over a longer period of time. Personally I think TD, Marshawn and Fred are all borderline hall of fame candidates, who might get in one day, but I think they will be waiting for a bit.
