CHARLOTTE — A pair of Panthers legends were among the 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025, announced Wednesday morning.

Linebacker Luke Kuechly was among the six first-time eligibles to make the cut, while wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. advanced to the final 25 for the fourth straight year.

This group will be pared to 15 finalists in December by the Hall of Fame's selection committee.

For both, it's recognition of amazing careers, and recent results show both have good chances of reaching the Hall in the years to come.

Kuechly's resume is practically identical to that of linebacker Patrick Willis, who was inducted this year in his third year of eligibility.

Both Kuechly and Willis played eight seasons and went to seven Pro Bowls, won defensive rookie of the year, and were named to the All-Decade team. Kuechly was a seven-time All-Pro (five times first team, two times second team), and Willis was named All-Pro six times (five first team, one second).

Kuechly, however, has an NFL defensive player of the year award from 2013, which Willis does not.

Smith's part of a larger conversation at wide receiver (with five remaining in the final 25), but has numbers that give him a solid argument against any of them.

Among the five receivers remaining on the ballot, he leads the group in receiving yards and is third in receptions. Smith's also one of just four players to ever win a Triple Crown, leading the league in receptions, yards, and receiving touchdowns in 2005. He did it with Jake Delhomme as his quarterback and on a team that ran it more times than it threw.

Reggie Wayne and Torry Holt were finalists last year, with Holt making the cut to the final 10. But unlike those two, Smith didn't have the luxury of playing with a Hall of Fame quarterback or Hall of Fame offensive teammates.

(So when opposing defenses were drawing up plans for the Colts, their priorities were often Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison, so Wayne got more favorable matchups. The same was true of Holt, who had Hall of Famers Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk alongside for much of his career).

The composition of the final 25 also holds some positive signs for progress for each.

All 10 of last year's finalists who were not elected to the Hall (those in spots 6-15) advanced again this year.

The group which made the cut from 6-10 were Jared Allen (who played his final season with the Panthers in 2015), Willie Anderson, Antonio Gates, Holt, and Darren Woodson. Spots 11-15 were Eric Allen, Jahri Evans, Rodney Harrison, Fred Taylor, and Wayne.

Smith was one of the seven players who were semifinalists last year in spots 16-25 to make it again this year, along with Anquan Boldin, Hines Ward, James Harrison, Robert Mathis, Rickey Watters, and Vince Wilfork.

They were joined by six first-time eligibles, including Kuechly, Eli Manning, Adam Vinatieri, Marshal Yanda, Terrell Suggs, and Earl Thomas.

Offensive linemen Richmond Webb and Steve Wisniewski also made the cut to 25 this year.

Receivers have struggled to push through in recent years, with Andre Johnson, Holt, and Wayne deadlocked in the final 15 for three seasons before Johnson was inducted this year. Holt's progress to the top 10 suggests he's considered ahead of Wayne, but that doesn't always hold year-to-year.

The Panthers have had players inducted in two of the last three years, with Julius Peppers this year and Sam Mills in 2022.

Semifinalists, Class of 2025

Pro Football Hall Of Fame

OFFENSE – 14
QB (1): Eli Manning
RB (2): Fred Taylor, Ricky Watters
WR (5): Anquan Boldin, Torry Holt, Steve Smith Sr., Hines Ward, Reggie Wayne
TE (1): Antonio Gates
OL (5): Willie Anderson, Jahri Evans, Richmond Webb, Steve Wisniewski, Marshal Yanda
DEFENSE – 10
DB (4): Eric Allen, Rodney Harrison, Earl Thomas, Darren Woodson
LB (3): James Harrison, Luke Kuechly, Terrell Suggs
DL (3): Jared Allen, Robert Mathis, Vince Wilfork
SPECIAL TEAMS – 1
PK (1): Adam Vinatieri